After losing his family in a tragic accident, composer John Russell (George C. Scott) moves in to an old Victorian mansion to get some much needed peace & quiet so he can get back to composing and teaching music, and try to move on with his life. However it soon becomes apparent that this house might not be as quiet as he would have hoped.....
The atmosphere of this film is something I find lacking in most modern horror movies, which tend to go for shocks rather than the slow-burning terror found here. If watched alone with a pair of decent headphones in a dark, empty house, I defy you not to be chilled by this classic! It's well directed and the great cast and intriguing story make this one of my favourite ghost films, and both Martin Scorsese & Alejandro Amenábar have it in their all-time best Horror movie lists too, so I'm in good company!
The only problem I have with it is the not-so-scary ghostly voice, which sounds a bit silly, but the rest of the film holds up pretty damn well, and had me wishing my flat wasn't quite so dark as I was going to bed after watching it again last year! Anyway, turn down the lights or close the curtains, settle down into a comfy chair and chuck on a pair of headphones, and you can judge for yourselves how scary it is...
Director - Peter Medak
Writers - Russell Hunter (Story), William Gray & Diana Maddox (Screenplay)
Starring - George C. Scott (John), Trish Van Devere (Claire), Melvyn Douglas (Senator Carmichael), Jean Marsh (Joanna Russell), John Colicos (Captain Dewitt), Barry Morse (Doctor Pemberton)
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