The Uninvited (1944)

A composer and his sister discover that the reason they are able to purchase a beautiful gothic seacoast mansion very cheaply is the house's unsavory past.

Director:

Lewis Allen

Writers:

Dodie Smith (screen play), Frank Partos (screen play)

Stars:

Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey, Donald Crisp

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ray Milland	...	Roderick Fitzgerald
Ruth Hussey	...	Pamela Fitzgerald
Donald Crisp	...	Cmdr. Beech
Cornelia Otis Skinner	...	Miss Holloway
Dorothy Stickney	...	Miss Bird
Barbara Everest	...	Lizzie Flynn
Alan Napier	...	Dr. Scott
Gail Russell	...	Stella Meredith

Storyline

A brother and sister move into an old seaside house they find abandoned for many years on the English coast. Their original enchantment with the house diminishes as they hear stories of the previous owners and meet their daughter (now a young woman) who now lives as a neighbor with her grandfather. Also heard are unexplained sounds during the night. It becomes obvious that the house is haunted. The reasons for the haunting and how they relate to the daughter whom the brother is falling in love with, prove to be a complex mystery. As they are compelled to solve it, the supernatural activity at the house increases to a frightening level.

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Plot Keywords:

house | haunting | mansion | dog | ghost | 

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Taglines:

From the Most Popular Mystery Romance since "Rebecca"!

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

1 September 1944 (Argentina)

Also Known As:

The Uninvited

Filming Locations:

Elk, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

There is a line of dialogue near the end of the film in which Rick assures Lizzie, "We will do nothing tonight that the priest wouldn't approve of." He is referring to Father Anson, who had a major sub-plot in the novel (he wanted to perform an exorcism on the house) but whose character and sub-plot were deleted entirely from the filmed version. This one odd line, lifted almost verbatim from the novel, somehow made it into the final cut.

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Goofs

In the final scene, Lizzie Flynn's cat is sitting placidly grooming himself on the stairway at Windward House, when he should be at the Jessop Farm with Lizzie.

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Quotes

Pamela Fitzgerald: That's the dawn breeze...

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Connections

Featured in TCM Guest Programmer: TCM Employee Picks (2011)

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Soundtracks

O God, Our Help in Ages Past
(uncredited)
Written by Isaac Watts

User Reviews

Subtle, Stylish Ghost Classic

Add a beautiful, mysterious Cornish seascape - with cliff and huge house standing alone. Add the likes of veteran actors like Ray Milland, Donald Crisp, Ruth Hussey, Alan Napier, Cornelia Otis Skinner, and a charming newcomer in Gail Russell. Throw in the eerie, suspenseful story of a house with a secret - a house that is worth much, much more than it sells for but is sold for a song to new neighbors Milland and Hussey as siblings. Stir in the ever present, keen eye for mixing atmosphere with action by director Lewis Allen and a thought-provoking, interesting albeit somewhat predictable script by Dodie Smith (based on a popular novel by Dorothy Macardle). For extra measure and a stronger ghostly flavour, present a séance, an asylum for the mentally ill, a true cliffhanger, and of course ghosts with work left to do after they have NOT shuffled off this mortal coil. All these ingredients make a fine film called The Univited, a Paramount release that really tries to be a true ghost story with emphasis on atmosphere rather than action. Though the film has a few stretches which might have been enhanced a bit more with some more action, the film's overall quality succeeds in its goals. The Uninvited is a first-rate ghost story about a secret this solitary, palatial house has, and it creates its suspense with things like creaking doors, lights faintly moving, wind blowing windows in(or out), barely audible whispers floating in the air, and ethereal images casting their ghostly shadows for the living's visual consumption. Ray Milland is as ever very affable in the lead role and Gail Russell as the focus of the ghost intrigue is beautiful and talented. Hussey, Skinner, and Napier do very good jobs with the material, but Donald Crisp as Russell's strong-willed father makes the biggest impression. If you are looking for something that has all the trappings of a sophisticated haunted house film - The Uninvited is it.