(*Movie quote*) - "How very curios!"Believe me, f-f-f-folks - I really, really, really did try to stifle my impatience with this particular ghost/haunted house story from 1944. I really, really, really did.Yep. In all honesty, I tried to cut this one some serious slack due to it now being 70+ years old.But - (IMO) - The Uninvited (though it did have a lot of potential to be a truly frightening movie experience) came close to being an utter failure in its genre.Yes - There were a couple of choice moments of eerie spookiness that sent goosebumps running up and down my spine - But - For the most part - This haunting of "Windward House" story just didn't deliver enough satisfactory chills & thrills to hold my undivided interest.As usual - (Coming from this particular era in Hollywood movie history) - This film's main focus zeroed in on the budding (and boring) "boy-meets-girl" romance that (predictably) transpired between 2 of the story's leading characters.

Considered the First Real Haunted House Movie, that isn't Played for Laughs. Horror Film Historians can Trace the Lineage Back to this Well Received and Popular Ghost Story and Sight this as the Archetype, complete with Flickering Candles, Swirling Etherical Entities, and Ouija Board Encounters.The Atmospheric Lensing of Charles Lang was Nominated for an Oscar. Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey, and Gail Russell Headline, but are Supported with a Great Cast of Character Actors that Bring to Life some Creepy and Eccentric Odd-Balls.Donald Crisp as "Grandfather", Cornelia Otis Skinner as a "Spiritualist" and Off-Her-Rocker New Age Type (that most read Lesbian), and Charles Napier as a "Country Doctor" who lends an Atypical 'Open Mind" to the Paranormal.It is also Against Type for Hollywood to give Credence to the Intervention of the After-Life that isn't Completely Judaeo-Christian Dogma. With all of that, it is a Film of Importance.The Story is Intellectually Complicated and one Needs to Pay Attention to get all of the Ramifications of the Plot and for a Clear Understanding of the Third Act.The Movie does have its Detractors that say it is too Comedic and Aloof at times, and Fails to Scare. But these, mostly Modern Oriented Folks, are in the Minority. It Holds Up quite well and has its Share of Spooky Scenes. The Dark Frame is Consistently Foreboding and Gail Russell's "Far Away Eyes" are something to Behold.

SYNOPSIS: A moderately well-off Londoner (Ray Milland) and his sister (Ruth Hussey) buy an old house, perched near the dangerous edge of a cliff on the Cornish coast. Although they are soon made aware that the house is haunted by a ghost, they fail to realize the ghost's particular animosity towards a sensitive young woman (Gail Russell) who lives nearby. NOTES: Charles Lang was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Black-and-White Photography, but lost to Joseph LaShelle's Laura.COMMENT: Just as well the photography is so wonderfully atmospheric, because the script now seems a little strained and doesn't quite add up to the shock impact it originally had on audiences in 1944. Too many ghost stories have intervened. The humor too (some of it contributed by producer Charles Brackett) fails to jell at times. Perhaps the modern setting is also a drawback. Maybe "The Uninvited" would have survived more effectively as a period piece. As it stands, the writers are forced to utilize a haunted house which, while it is connected to the electricity supply, has no electric lights—a mystery for which they proffer no explanation whatever. We watch all these people running around with lamps, whilst Ray Milland listens to the radio and makes regular telephone calls. In this sort of caper, automobiles look anachronistic. Furthermore, Ray Milland, competent actor though he is, fails to measure up here as a romantic hero. Whilst he's certainly quite pleasant to watch, his performance lacks the polish that all the other players, particularly Cornelia Otis Skinner (an unforgettable villainess), Gail Russell (who skillfully projects an enchanting vulnerability), Donald Crisp (a particularly well-rounded performance) and Ruth Hussey (beautifully efficient) bring to their roles.Lewis Allen's direction is professionally competent, but lacks the imaginative vigor that transforms mere entertainment into a masterpiece. In fact, he throws most of the burden for carrying the artistic effectiveness of the film on to the photographer, the set designer, the music composer and the special effects technicians. These men all render superlative work. The music score in fact is one of Victor Young's most memorable. It's hard to believe it wasn't even nominated for an Academy Award. Who remembers some of the nominated scores like Frederic Rich's "Jack London" or Edward Paul's "Up in Mabel's Room" today?

Not exactly a horror film. It starts off as a slightly mysterious and creepy romantic comedy. It is one of those films with strange and ambiguous relationships between the characters.A brother-sister duo (Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey) is impressed by a large mansion while on a trip to a seaside town. They are surprised when its owner agrees to sell it to them for a very cheap price. But once they move in, they realize that there is some sort of entity in the house. The strange behavior of the owner and his granddaughter also arouses suspicion.The two protagonists are unusual - they are a chummy brother sister duo who live together. The relationship between the mansion's owner and his granddaughter is also quite strange. He seems to be excessively possessive about her. There is another relationship which hints at lesbianism.The film begins with a great long shot of the turbulent sea that is almost monstrous. It was very affecting. The indoor scenes are characterized by a lot of shadows and candle light which gives a Gothic and at times even Noirish feel to the film. The séance scene was very interesting.Ray Miland's charming presence and his backslapping relationship with Ruth Hussey prevents this film from becoming a creepy horror film.You might enjoy it if you liked The Birds or Marnie. It is not a bad film for a rainy night. And Ruth Hussey is very nice to look at.(6/10)