	Customer Service \| Who We Are \| Links

Location: Home » VHS » The Uninvited [VHS]

Sponsor

The Uninvited [VHS]

enlarge

Director: Lewis Allen
Actors: Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey, Donald Crisp, Cornelia Otis Skinner, Dorothy Stickney
Studio: MCA/Universal Home Video
Category: Video

Buy Used: $25.95
as of 9/10/2010 11:22 CDT details

New (8) Used (18) Collectible (4) from $25.95

Seller: Black_and_Read
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

131 reviews
Sales Rank: 324

Format: Black & White, HiFi Sound, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: VHS Tape
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 99 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 4.2 x 1.1

ISBN: 6302503493
UPC: 096898040037
EAN: 9786302503494
ASIN: 6302503493

Theatrical Release Date: 1944
Release Date: January 1, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Similar Items:

The Spiral Staircase

Gaslight

A Stolen Life (1946) [VHS]

The Haunting

The Innocents

Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
One of the spookiest ghost stories ever put to film, The Uninvited is also one of the few classic haunted-house movies to treat the subject with respect and seriousness. Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey play a brother and sister who leave the city to live in a beautiful old house dramatically perched on a cliff overlooking the Cornish coast. As they discover some of the house's peculiarities--the unexplained chill that settles in certain rooms, the aroma of mimosas that wafts through the house, flowers that wilt when brought inside--they are told by local girl Gail Russell that the house is haunted, by the spirit of Russell's mother no less. The rationalist city folk first scoff at the idea but as Milland slowly falls in love with the frightened girl he investigates the legends and discovers some startling hidden truths. Donald Crisp costars as Russell's humorless, hard-bitten grandfather who forbids her visits to the house. Handsomely shot against the beautiful Cornish countryside, director Lewis Allen wisely suggests more than he shows and the uneasy tone and quietly restrained direction looks forward to such films as The Haunting and The Legend of Hell House. Though Allen ultimately reveals a suitably spine-tingling apparition, some of the film's best moments are chilling in their simplicity: nocturnal moans, slamming doors, and the dog's whimpering fear of the upstairs. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

Showing reviews 1-5 of 131

1 2 3 4 5 6 ...27 Next »

netflix addict: my favorite movie of all times @61 yrs old. August 21, 2010
cvaden
this is my favorite movie of all times. i love many types of films. from sound of music to girl with the dragon tatoo to jeepers kreepers. the uninvited has it all: atmosphere, scenery, beautiful acting, great story line, love story, sweet animals, etc.

5 out of 5 stars

The Uninvited VHS May 31, 2010
MD Johnson
The Uninvited VHS tape was received on time and in good condition. A big thank you to this seller and to Amazon for making it available! I can hardly wait for this movie to put offered in DVD format. Please do this right away!

4 out of 5 stars

As smooth as champagne... May 1, 2010
Chris Wilson (Dallas, TX)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Throughout history, the ghost story genre has evolved. Today, we have the gut-wrenching horror of The Ring (Widescreen Edition) and Dark Water (Unrated Widescreen Edition) (remakes of similarly unsettling Japanese films). The genre dates back hundreds of years - even Shakespeare had a ghost or two in Hamlet (The New Folger Library Shakespeare). "The Uninvited," released in 1944, was one of the first times the genre was tackled seriously in film. An enormously successful movie in its day, it alternates between sophisticated wit, comedic relief and stark, late-night terror. It's terrific fun, if a bit corny.

What's interesting about "The Uninvited" is when comparing it to the modern ghost stories mentioned above. Certainly the spooks are up to no good in "The Uninvited," but the specters of "The Ring" want to kill you in the most horrible ways. Believe it or not, "The Uninvited" terrified audiences in 1944 (Martin Scorsese recently called it the third scariest film ever made, behind only The Haunting and Isle of the Dead [VHS]). The heavy doses of dramatic relief injected throughout were necessary, if only to keep attendees from racing to the exits in terror. It was a more innocent time and, I suspect, many people believed in ghosts in the 1940s. Today, well, we believe in unimaginable horror. While watching "The Uninvited," with the fine Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey as cosmopolitan siblings on a vacation stroll along the English coast, their witty repartee reminded me of Nick and Nora Charles in The Thin Man (Keepcase).

They stumble upon a vacant mansion and fall in love with the house, adorned with a huge staircase, dusty chandeliers and breath-taking views. Implausibly, within minutes they decide to make a life-changing decision and buy the estate on the cheap. They move into the home, make friends with the colorful neighbors and are awakened at night by sounds of eerie moaning and doors slamming, abruptly coming to an end at dawn. Naturally the house does not have electricity, so Milland and Hussey must investigate by candle light. There's a mystery behind the haunting involving suicide, local resident Stella and a gloomy studio where sinister portraits were painted.

Gail Russell makes her acting debut as the innocent Stella, a lovely waif as pure as the morning breeze. Russell would go on to minor stardom in such films as Wake of the Red Witch and another excellent ghost story "The Unseen" (1945), though would suffer from obsessive shyness throughout her career. Resorting to the bottle to relieve insecurity, she would become a hopeless alcoholic before dying utterly alone by the age of 36. One of Hollywood's great tragedies, Russell is at the peak of appeal in "The Uninvited," equal parts winsome and childlike. Milland's character takes a shine to her and falls in love. In fact, the small Devonshire coastal town appears to have something for everyone, including a nice bachelor doctor with an eye for Hussey (played by Alan Napier, the immortal Alfred of Batman - The Movie (Special Edition) fame).

The atmosphere of "The Uninvited" is extraordinary, with brooding sets, crashing waves and moonlit nights. There's a seance, of course, with crystal glasses flying across the room. I enjoyed the sophisticated aplomb of Milland and Hussey as they attempt to solve the mystery, strolling through the house in pressed pajamas and silk housecoats. And when the ghost finally makes an appearance, an animated mist with a menacing face, it is truly creepy. The famous musical score by Victor Young is a true masterpiece of film composition. It was later reworked into the hit song "Stella by Starlight" and eventually recorded by Miles Davis '58 Miles Featuring Stella by Starlight and Tony Bennett Tony Bennett: The Very Thought Of You (Harmony) [VINYL LP] [STEREO].

The broad doses of dramatic relief injected throughout the film keeps the tone too light for my taste. But "The Uninvited" is a classic example of a venerable genre, possessing an air of British cool, forged during a glorious era of Hollywood history. It is likable and good-natured, as smooth as a glass of quality champagne.

5 out of 5 stars

Intelligent! April 2, 2010
S. Surrey
Made in 1944, this movie still scares the heck out of me. No blood, gore or any of that crap. Just a very good story, likable characters and a mystery that makes sense! Few are the visits of the ghost but for all that more chilling. Made when movies actually tried to set the mood and not upset your stomach.

3 out of 5 stars

HARD TO SEE THE UNINVITED....IN THE DARK February 8, 2010
bittersweet* (witch city salem ma)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful

THE UNINVITED.....1944

it's not difficult to recognize "the nutz and bolts" mechanics here...in your face nuance....(not so subtle changes in light and shadow)...in fact...i thought i would go partially blind several times just trying to put visuals with dialogue...this picture was so dark that i feel it should have been called DARK SHADOWS...in any event...other than it's share of darkness it was a clever ghostly/who done what?..

WINDWARD HOUSE....a beautiful vacant old stone villa perched high above the sea....in a fishing village called biddleton in devonshire england.....the day...exactly???....the 10th of may 1937......

when i first got a glimpse of it's facade with all that paned glass.....i immediately thought of the tall expansive windows in RANDOM HEARTS....those hospital windows that seem to imitate eyes looking out onto the world or maybe into the soul......and then we get to appreciate the interior....among other things...that magnificent spiral staircase and the massive crystal chandelier that seem to take such prominence in not only the grand center hall but in the very heart of our ghostly tale of witchery~ ...symbolism? ....why i haven't a clue ...

brother and sister....RICK and PAMELA FITZGERALD...(ray milland and ruth hussy)....stumble upon this charmer quite by accident one day while hiking back to their car........they both fall in love instantly with her...and end up purchasing the house from and old stalwart called COMMANDER BEACH...who..by the way....just happens to have a lovely twenty-two year old granddaughter by the name of STELLA MEREDITH.....

strange occurrences start to take place even before they move their belongings in...a lovely bouquet of wildflowers wither and die before our very eyes as we we see PAMELA set them down on a table in the room where RICK will set up his music room....the two remark how icy cold the room seems to be even on a warm sunny afternoon....after they move in....almost immediately PAMELA starts to hear voices of a woman crying uncontrollably just before dawn...and bobby the terrier runs just ups and runs away....yikes!!!!

when LIZZY FLYNN...the maid arrives at the house....her cat...upon exploration...senses something evil this way cometh and arches it's back as if it has seen a ghost on ALL HALLOWS EVE!!!!......will curiosity kill the cat as it ascends the grand staircase???? ......i think by this time.....we pretty well know something is a rye when poor LIZZY won't stay the night in the place!!!

we soon discover that not all at WINDWARD HOUSE is as it appears!!!! no!!!...years ago...STELLA MEREDITHS mother...MARY MEREDITH fell to her death from this very cliff...(marked by a dead tree)...

strange dark things continue....like the night STELLA and RICK spend in intimate conversation in his music room...RICK tries to impress her by playing a new composition on his baby grand entitled..."STELLA BY STARLIGHT"......all of a sudden!!!..the candles dim and flicker....RICK appears to be under some kind of spell!!!.....STELLA becomes afraid and bolts from the house...running towards the cliff....RICK catches up grabs her and saves her from a certain death!!!!!

soon.....RICK and PAMELA and SCOTT...the friendly young attractive single town physician.... decide to hold a seance one dark spooky night at WINDWARD to call upon the spirit of STELLA'S dead mother...in hopes that the experience would convince the young girl to stop her unhealthy fixation with channeling her mother......

the cast of characters expands with the introduction of nurse HOLLOWAY...who is seemingly an evil witch herself and just happens to run the clinic where STELLA is sent by her grandfather who is at his wits end!!!....apparently only NURSE HOLLOWAY can treat STELLA for what ails her.....

the plot thickens when we find out from the evil HOLLOWAY that there was a love triangle between STELLA'S father...dead MARY and the intensely evil...CARMEL CASADA...a spanish gypsy...who....through revelation..we find is lovely STELLA'S real birth mother!!!..

so not only was the mansion haunted by MARY'S malevolent ghost..with icy cold dank and damp unwelcoming vibrations...but also by the benevolent ghost of CARMEL...who..not only provided a lingering sweet scent of mimosa whenever she hovered...but made pages gently flip over in the old doctor's case book on the desk..candles flicker and die...but also was the one who sobbed uncontrollably in the night......

fini....RICK decides to take the bull by the horns....confronts and banishes MARY'S evil spirit from the mansion once and for all.... then he and STELLA fall deeply in love..PAMELA and SCOTT fall deeply in love....the cat can sit on the steps of the grand staircase at long last...and lick it's paw contentedly.....the ghosts have found their rightful resting places to dwell and everyone lives happily ever after.......

oh!....all that is with the exception of NURSE HOLLOWAY...who lastly we see gazing despondently up at an oil of MARY...high above the plaster fireplace...mumbling weirdly out loud......."all is straight now.....no frayed edges....no lose edges...all smooth edges".........

if there is a sequel...we'll probably fine NURSE HOLLOWAY committed to her own clinic...starting at that portrait above the fireplace....

Showing reviews 1-5 of 131

1 2 3 4 5 6 ...27 Next »

CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON SERVICES LLC. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME.