Joshua Reviews Lewis Allen’s The Uninvited [Blu-ray Review]

Every so often, over the course of an art-form’s, or in this case a genre’s, history, there are films that mark a decidedly new take on tried and true ideas. And very few genres have evolved as vastly as the horror genre. From the expressionist days of silent horror to the Gothic-tinged brood of classic Universal pictures, and now to the gore-fueled “torture porn” pictures of the post-Saw generation, the genre is seemingly forever changing, and Criterion has released a new Blu-ray of a film that proves that point about as well as any the genre has ever seen.

Arguably the first real picture to take the idea of ghosts as serious as cinema has since taken it, The Uninvited has since become a relatively forgotten horror classic that is as much an important bit of horror cinema as it is a melodrama, or in many cases a romantic genre. At its very best a potent blend of all three, Lewis Allen’s underrated classic finally got its day in the spotlight at the end of last month, and it is now a film that should not just be seen every Halloween. The genre bending classic is a film that transcends genres, and is simply a must-see picture.

Starring the pair of Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey, the film tells the story of a brother and sister duo who snatch up a cheap house on a cliff in Cornwall. However, when it’s discovered that the home may very well be haunted, things turn far more eerie, and what follows is a dense and rich drama that mixes and matches all sorts of genres, blending them together only to pop out a brazenly atmospheric masterwork as a result.

Director Lewis Allen and photographer Charles Lang Jr. are this film’s biggest stars. Bringing a sense of seriousness to a type of film that, year’s earlier, would have been turned into a film like I Married A Witch, a fine, but aggressively slight comedic romp, Allen crafts a film that is rich in an atmosphere far more gothic. With stunning black and white photography from Lang, who is at the top of his game here (as he is in a film like Ace In The Hole), the film holds within it a heightened sense of drama and atmosphere, and while it doesn’t shy away from comedic elements (take the film’s last line for example) or its melodrama roots, it’s a tense and breathlessly crafted attempt to give a mature shock to the horror genre’s central nervous system.

The entire cast here is solid, particularly Ray Miland, who takes on the role of Rick Fitzgerald, brother to Pamela, played wonderfully by Ruth Hussey. The two are on vacation when they seem to, on a whim, decide to purchase a home upon the side of a cliff. The two are entrancing when on screen together, and they really elevate the material here. Opposite them are names like Donald Crisp, Gail Russell and Cornelia Otis Skinner, the latter of whom is highlighted in a supplement here (we will talk a bit more about that soon), as a perfect example of the type of genre blending this film is best known for. A decidedly campy member of this film’s cast, she comes in like a bullet out of a gun, breathing even more life into an already punk-esque genre bender.

Toss in some truly definitive sound work and a powerful score from Victor Young, this is not simply an unsung genre film. Lewis Allen’s The Uninvited is a genuinely unforgettable ghost story that blends familial drama, haunted house tropes and even the occasional laugh, with a sense of style all its own only to result in one of the more singular genre pictures you’ll ever see. Admittedly a tad long in the tooth (film clocks in at just shy of 100 oddly paced minutes), this classic is a film that, with Criterion’s new Blu-ray, will hopefully find an entirely new audience.

Speaking of that Blu-ray release (it arrived on shelves on October 22), the Blu-ray transfer is stellar. The black and white photography really pops off the screen, particularly the use of lighting, which is one of Charles Lang Jr.’s major calling cards. An energetic looking picture, Allen’s film has new life breathed into it thanks to a new 2k restoration. Light on features, this discounted release (only $30 for the Blu-ray is a steal, still) comes with two radio adaptations of the story (both with Milland in the lead) and the real show stopper here, a lengthy video essay from director Michael Almereyda. It’s an interesting look at the film’s influence on the genre and the lives of those involved, and is one of the more enjoyable visual essays Criterion has released in some time. Toss in a booklet with an ever exciting essay from Farran Smith Nehme, and you’ve got a release that will be hard to pass up with the pending Barnes And Noble 50% off sale. An absolute must-own, this release.