This is one of those rare horror movies that has zero body count and almost no special effects, but still manages to be really effective at maintaining tension and suspense.Dr. Markway (Richard Johnson) has obtained permission from the owner to conduct experiments at Hill House, a secluded mansion with a dark history. He assembles a team of like-minded assistants, except only two of them actually show up: Theodora (Claire Bloom), a psychic, and Eleanor (Julie Harris), an emotionally-damaged woman with a history of poltergeist activity. Accompanying them is the prospective heir to the property, Luke (Russ Tamblyn), who mostly just drinks and cheats at cards. While at the house, strange phenomena beset them and Eleanor becomes more and more unhinged.
Like I said, this is a classic haunted house movie but modern viewers may find it a little tough to sit through. Eleanor is one of the most annoying characters to ever be on screen and she careens through mood changes faster than a F-1 supercar. Dr. Markway is mostly a creeper, leaning heavily into patronizing fatherly stereotypes while awkwardly hitting on Eleanor. It was almost impossible for me not to read Theo as a closeted lesbian. She's chummy with Eleanor until they're around dudes, then she becomes very catty. There's also a lot of subtext about her hiding who she really is and not being comfortable, which I'm sure were meant to be about her ESP but come across now as about her sexuality. Luke is...just kind of there. He's not manly enough to be a love interest, and not really interesting at all.
Despite the weak characterizations, this is an absolute masterpiece of dread and I highly recommend it.
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