Well, I've recently started writing reviews for the website. Hopefully, it'll give me a larger incentive to actually focus on film reviews -- which I love doing, and move away from mindless ramblings -- which I alas, frequently do.
My first review for Fatally-yours is the horror classic, The Haunting (1963). Every week, I'll post the first couple of paragraphs, and then a "read on" option -- 'cause I might get into trouble if I slap the whole thing up here!
The Haunting (1963)
The Haunting
is the "little old woman" of the horror genre - even if you don't like her, you've still got to show her some respect. Sure, it's a film frequently overlooked in horror circles; possibly due to its distinct lack of gore, sex and even creative death sequences. But that doesn't mean the film isn't memorable. You see, The Haunting doesn't deal with malicious monsters or some other creature that goes bump in the night (well, strictly speaking, it does, but they're not of your standard flesh-and-blood variety). Nope, The Haunting is a traditional ghost story. But, it isn't a rattling chains and floating sheets affair; it's an intelligent, thought-provoking tale. I'd go as far as to deem it the definitive ghost story.Director Robert Wise (whose previous horror credentials include Curse of the Cat People and The Body Snatcher in the 1940s) has relied upon other means to invoke terror, however. What's scary is simple: it's the unseen, the burgeoning tension and mounting sense of dread, the noises and the strange, unexplainable occurrences. I believe that's something a truly gifted director (like Wise) can accomplish - create a menacing presence without the aid of a visual representation of the antagonist(s). And the late Robert Wise was one marvellous director. From the opening credits, he manages to captivate us, drawing us into his twisted little horror film of a house "born bad".
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