The Uninvited and The Unseen: Blu-ray Review

Can the evil power of a bitter spirit project itself from the unknown into the realm of the living? We review The Univited, 1944 and The Unseen, 1945
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The Uninvited Summary: A brother and sister move into an old seaside house they find abandoned for many years on the English coast. Their original enchantment with the house diminishes as they hear stories of the previous owners and meet their daughter (now a young woman) who now lives as a neighbor with her grandfather. Also heard are unexplained sounds during the night. It becomes obvious that the house is haunted. The reasons for the haunting and how they relate to the daughter whom the brother is falling in love with, prove to be a complex mystery. As they are compelled to solve it, the supernatural activity at the house increases to a frightening level.
The Unseen Summary: Governess Elizabeth Howard fears that David, both her widowed employer and the man she loves, could be the strangler that's stalking women in the small New England town where they live. So do the police. His little son Barnaby knows who the killer is but won't tell. Elizabeth becomes convinced that the killer is now stalking her as well.
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THE SHADOWS: Farron Sutton, Vincent Foley, Lescarberry, Aaron Kesller, Wes Allen, Thon Lorenz, David Hughes, Nancy Peponis, Lexander, Ernie Mehaffey, Allan Liska, Michael John Simmons, Laura Hertzman, Bugaboo, Nayla + Steve Caruso, John L., Kristin Hitron, Doug Sparks, Matthew Wolforth, Maurice Terenzio, Hal Remorse, TheZodMaker, Paul Keating, Johnny Compton, Adi Wood, Andreas Buckley, Todd Y., Rick Walz, Jihoon Suk, Kristiyan Butev, Dragonfyree, Bob Hedges, E. P. Haury, Spooky Robot, Mark Osborn, Travis Stephenson, Ossie Nelson, Mark Welsh, Kali, Michael Clark, Lightning Round, Ian Lewis, Jonathan Harrison, Darren Le Noble, Melanie Atherton Allen, Gappasaurus, james Steadman, Joe Porter, Scott Nesmith, Normand Richardson, Richard Sadler, scoopmoose, John Hepp, Michael Schmidt, Chantelle Corey, Jim Rockford, Joe Niedbala, Joseph Hines, Nils Muninsheim, Stephen Crane, Anthony Strocks, Dave Church, Sikander, Jasmine Zantara, goddessoftransitory, Tony Belmonte, Rachemus, Chris Weakley, steve scibelli, Raven House Mystery, Michael and Heather Bailes, Colleen Crouch, Dan D Doty, ChaosOverlordZ, Joseph Dougherty, Chris Hewson,
Written and presented by Robin Bailes @robinbailes
Directed and Edited by Graham Trelfer
Bluray Review E006
#HorrorMovieReview #DarkCornersReview

[@hneugiii1245]

The Uninvited has been a Halloween family staple for years. My parents had it on VHS. My wife and I have the Criterion Collection DVD and it's an excellent transfer. That last line "she could've been my mother-in-law", that's priceless 😂

[@VegimorphtheMovieBoy]

The Uninvited is my favorite horror movie ever! Happened to see it by chance one evening on TCM after watching The Haunting and I'm so glad I did! Great review! I'm starting to get more into Ray Milland's work and I love Dial M For Murder as well.

[@stephennootens916]

I think TMC play it every Halloween season. It is a great little surprise.

[@shannondore]

That sounds like a great double feature. I love The Haunting as well.

[@indigofoxtrot5111]

I saw "The Uninvited" on British daytime television when I was 6 or 7. It's haunted me for a lifetime! and I've loved watching it ever since.

[@Z3WHA6]

The Uninvited is an excellent film and one of my favorites. The character building between Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey, and Gail Russell is charming and natural. I've loved this film for a long time, and I'm so glad Criterion decided to feature it.

[@dangreene3895]

The actor who played Alfred in the 1960's TV show Batman was in the movie The Uninvited

[@DarkCornersReviews]

Alan Napier, yes. Also in a few Universal horrors and some Val Lewton films. He had a great career but we only remember him as Batman's butler.

[@williamtsutherland8240]

"The Uninvited" is just Brilliant! Haven't seen the other one. . .

[@OuterGalaxyLounge]

The Uninvited is marvelous. You guys are killing it as always. Major respect.

[@kallknall4686]

The Uninvited is a haunted house masterpiece, The Unseen not so much it's quite a different beast and I'm not aware of any previous releases of it I believe it was kind of 'lost' from sight for many years or at least very rarely seen anywhere.

[@williamblakehall5566]

Thank you for spotlighting these. My favorite Ray Milland movie may be The Big Clock, in which he is an innocent man constantly outmaneuvering Charles Laughton.

[@buzzawuzza3743]

There's room in both of these films for potential sequels. As my friends and I plan out our first film we can follow up The Uninvited and The Unseen with our own version which we think we should call The Uninspired.

[@user-ec7hf6dz7e]

Much like THE HAUNTING , its what you don't see, but you know its there that's scary. Ray Miland walking through the darkened house with just a single candle to light his way tell us what this movies all bout. Robin, when you mentioned the writers name ( Dodie Smith ) , you finally said my last name correct ... without the Smith part of course.

[@geraldmartin7703]

This and The Innocents (1961) are my favorite ghost movies. Understated horror.

[@kirksworks]

The Uninvited is one of my favorite ghost stories, only second to The Innocents. Your commentary makes to want to watch it again tonight!

[@chelosoyyo5099]

Stella by Starlight goes crazy

[@Bethelaine1]

My mom and I watched this late one night, we loved it . The scariest bits were kept to suggestions until the end and we shivered delightedly. I watch it whenever I can. I think horror that keeps the threat just out of sight is the best.

[@alandhopewell]

I've seen THE UNINVITED, love it!

[@fisheyenomiko]

"The Uninvited" is a beautiful movie! And yes, it *definitely* deserves more love. I first watched it on a whim, not by reputation.

[@patriciadilday447]

Love the Uninvited! One of my favorite films.

[@bensneb360]

I love Ray Milland, such a talented and underrated actor, always glad to see him pop up in spooky flicks

[@rogerrendzak8055]

I didn't see 'The Uninvited', as a kid, some 50+ years ago, but saw it for the first time, 30 years back, when I taped it. Excellent, bonified ghost tale, and anything less, would be biased.

[@NGMonocrom]

Russell was only 20 years-old when she did "The Uninvited." And, According to Lewis Allen, she was very difficult to work with. Mainly due to having the maturity level of a 2 year-old. Arguing with Allen over the most ridiculous of things, and then constantly crying in her mother's arms (who was on set) when she didn't get her way. Russell would soon afterwards develop a major drinking problem the first time she tried alcohol. Initially just to calm her nerves. Passed away far too young as a hard-drinking, raging alcoholic. But the reason why she didn't last too long after achieving stardom in Hollywood is because of her incredibe lack of maturity that made it difficult to get a good acting performance out of her. It was possible.... But involved far too much work, energy, and effort to do so.

[@AndriannaZ13]

The Uninvited it's a great film! I need to watch The Unseen

[@johnhart7704]

I remember seeing The Uninvited as a teenager, when Channel 4 showed it in the 1980's. I was genuinely scared by the supernatural parts. Really good film.

[@steealconwyrick1999]

The cinematography in _The Uninvited_ is just… chef’s kiss. No wonder it was nominated for an Oscar. Probably would’ve won, too, if it hadn’t been up against films like _Double Indemnity_ and _Laura_ (the latter of which won).

[@user-tn1rs9tg9k]

The Uninvited has about the best manifestation of a ghost scene in any haunted house film. I remember watching it as a boy and the scene where the ghost appears before the old man really made an impression on me, it was quite frightening and depressing at the same time: there was ( of course ) the threatening nature of the apparition but it was the sense of the gloomy world beyond death that permeated these scenes that even now resonates with me.

[@FCPAvid]

I saw The Uninvited on TV, in the 1960s, when I was about 10 and have never forgotten it. A fabulously creepy film.

[@lmboh8585]

I've not seen The Unseen, but The Uninvited is one of my favorite films. The cinematography is excellent, and the score is beautiful.

[@euansmith3699]

I was surprised that I could recognize Ray Milland from just his silhouette as he walked through the door.

[@user-nt1yk2vj3v]

The Uninvited is excellent. I first saw it back in the late 60's from Cleveland's local late Friday nights hosts for horror & SF flicks. Always fun to watch, but a couple of movies made me sit up and notice "Wow, this is really good!" This film was one of them.

[@patclau006]

Also starring Alan Napier, Alfred in Batman 66, I just saw him as Sean Connery 's dad in Marnie, Napier was quite tall, he towers over Connery and Sean was a tall man himself.

[@YootoobSteve123]

The Uninvited has creeped me out since I was a kid and continues to creep me out to this day.

[@KarlBunker]

3:53: "... I'll go and get the sweep." I saw what you did there. 😄🤣

[@baldwhiteguynz]

I got that same boxset here in Australia. Agree that the Uninvited is the stand-out gem and, yes, it does have echoes of Val Lawton. Sadly, the Unseen is pretty forgettable and really pales in comparison ... but it is nice to have both. That first movie captured something magic and is delightful. Ray Milland's performance is the one that brings that movie together, I think.

[@davidlionheart2438]

I know "The Uninvited" intimately, quite literally word for word, and it gives me the same joy every time I see it. It is unquestionably one of the finest horror films ever made. It is one of those rare films that I feel both grateful and enriched for having seen. As for another favorite Ray Milland film, there's of course his Academy Award winning performance in Billy Wilder's brilliant "The Lost Weekend", but my personal pick would be Fritz Lang's "Ministry Of Fear", a genuinely suspenseful, genuinely enjoyable, beautifully accomplished film.

[@geraldmartin7703]

Terrible title; but Milland is excellent in the Corman quickie, "X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes".

[@salfordnurse]

Ethel Lina White also wrote The Wheel Spins, which was used as a basis for Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes

[@peterkelley7160]

The Uninvited is often referred to as Hollywood's first real ghost story . There are ghostly doings : supernatural elements that aren't compromised by a smoke and mirrors revelation in the last reel . The Unseen is not as well known , but in my opinion , it's still eerily enjoyable . An abandoned and creepy old house plus a long standing unsolved murder make this mystery very watchable . Finally , an excellent Ray Milland movie in need of rediscovery is Alias Nick Beal from 1949 . A top notch cast coupled with a great story makes this movie a very worthwhile watch .

[@robotrix]

You mentioned radio the radio play of this. There's quite a few here on KZbin. Boris Karloff doing Arsenic and Old Lace for one. Most have one or two of the stars with well known replacements. Then there's a version of The Maltese Falcon with Bogart, Astor, Greenstreet and Lorre done for radio.

[@Dobj319]

The Uninvited is a favorite movie of mine. As I remember it follows the novel more or less closely. I read it about 25 years ago.

[@MightyMezzo]

“Uninvited” has a sterling supporting cast: Donald Crisp, Cornelia Otis Skinner, Alan Napier among others. And yes, it’s unmissable.

[@schizoidboy]

I don't know anything about the Unseen, but the Uninvited is a wonderful movie, it has a beautiful yet eerie atmosphere and the appearance of the ghost in this movie is creepy but well done. There's no gore and even some humor especially towards the end. I think this is the movie that introduced the song "Stella by Starlight".

[@RavenHouseMystery]

I've never seen "The Unseen" (no pun intended), but "The Uninvited" is a wonderful classic ghost story with a nice twist. I would sometimes confuse the title with "The Haunting", since both films would air regularly on television around Halloween. As for Ray Milland, I think he was a great actor with a wide range. Hero, villain, or simply a sympathetic character with a problem, Ray Milland is always fun to watch. While his role in "The Lost Weekend" rightfully won him an Oscar, I still love "Dial M For Murder". That is my favorite Ray Milland film.

[@BigSlimyBlob]

"And I'll bring my 101 bloodhounds along." -Dodie Smith, probably

[@euansmith3699]

"Garlic up to your ass." Antony Worrall Thompson

[@alasdairwatson712]

The Uninvited scared the bejasus out of me when I first saw late at night with my brother decades ago. I have so wanted to watch it again.

[@seanledden4397]

I totally agree with the Dark Corners take here. I love The Uninvited, and have seen it several times. I was excited by the prospect of The Unseen, but didn't make it past the first act. Since it's mostly a gothic romance between the governess and the handsome widower who employs her. It had a 19th century Jane Eyre vibe for me, and that hadn't been what I was looking for.

[@shannondore]

I absolutely love The Uninvited and Ray Milland. Some other favorites of mine are The Uncanny, X: The Man With The X-ray Eyes, and The Thing with Two Heads.

[@ROMANTIKILLER2]

Thanks for making me aware of The Uninvited, definitely a movie I need to check out!

[@johnswift376]

I've had The Uninvited on DVD for years, not the best picture quality, but an excellent and atmospheric film. Unjustly forgotten.

[@thrashpondopons8348]

It's astonishing how much Sci/Fi-Horror Ray Miland did over his career!

[@richardkohlbrenner1773]

I was born in 1961. So I do love the older horror movies. The 13 Ghost was my favorite back then 🎉

[@iDEATH]

The Uninvited is one of my all time favourites! I love ghost stories, and I think that's probably one of the best ones ever put to film. I know I've seen The Unseen as well (I'm pretty sure I watched them back to back once), but I don't remember much about it. Hell, it's been long enough since I've seen The Uninvited that I don't remember many of the details either, but one of them excites me at the mere mention of it, and the other does not. Kind of says it all right there. I want to watch The Uninvited now. I may have to check out this Blu-Ray release.

[@noahbody9747]

Seen 'The Uninvited' a couple of times on TCM. Never seen 'The Unseen'. What is good about the imprint release is, despite being from Australia, it's region 0 (i.e. region free), so you can play discs using US Blu-Ray players.

[@camerastooge]

I have the Criterion blu of The Uninvited. It is superb! That scene in the stairwell at night (you know the one) put shivers up my spine. And I swear that one shot from Raiders of the Lost Ark was inspired by this movie.

[@annnichols3091]

I've loved "The Univited" for decades. It's a very good movie.

[@stillhuntre55]

Dark Corners is ALWAYS seen and invited!

[@vincentpuccio3689]

The uninvited is one of My favorite films, whimsical, and creepy at the same time

[@RegMurphy-he8nj]

I have The Uninvited on DVD, the Criterion Collection. Fantastic film. Horror films are best in black and white. This is such a sad film to watch knowing what happened to Gail Russell.

[@RussLudwig]

Thank you for this! The Uninvited is now on my to do list

[@edwardwoods8423]

Great review! The Uninvited is one of the finest ghostly films ever made and a personal favorite. I have the Criterion Blu-Ray which has the radio plays as well which are well worth a listen. Ghost stories thrive when told in a dark room, where the imagination can fill in the blanks.

[@jameshumphreys-mr1iu]

Thanks for another great review - never heard of it, now want to see it! (As a footnote, this might have been Dodie Smith's first filmscript but she was a hugely successful playwright in the 1930s so it's not out of character (the whole dalmatian thing came later)...

[@GutMuncherZero]

The Uninvited is better than The Premature Burial, but both are good. I also liked Panic in Year Zero! I'd rank that third, though.

[@kaylaturnis9486]

Ray Milland also starred in The Premature Burial, X The Man With The X Ray Eyes, Frogs, and The Thing With Two Heads!!!

[@maplebob23]

I really like X: The Man With The X-Ray Vision even though I haven’t seen it in thirty years and I’m not sure it’s very good. But that ending is burned into my memory.

[@leppeppel]

My favourite film with Ray Milland is and likely always will be Frogs (1972). As a horror film, it's so bad it's hilarious, and I've never regretted watching it with a couple of friends and some strong beverages. Interestingly, despite giving the best performance, Milland hating making it so much that he walked off the set before finishing his scenes, killing the mooted sequel in which his character would return.

[@thrashpondopons8348]

for those keeping score at home... that's Alan Napier at 1:42.

[@GrandOldMovies]

The Uninvited is a genuinely creepy film, beautifully shot, and with some interesting performances, especially by Cornelia Otis Skinner as an obsessed 'Mrs Danvers' type. (Gail Russell would later star in a film adaptation of Skinner's memoir 'Our Hearts Were Young and Gay'). As for Ray Milland, check out his cheekily suave, atypical performance as the Devil himself in Alias Nick Beal.

[@davidmoran2296]

The Uninvited is one of my favorites!

[@morgangallowglass8668]

Amazing how they could create such a deeply creepy atmosphere without CGI and modern FX. Classics, to be sure!

[@MISHKINPUSH]

Never heard of these, but they look great. Thanks for the video.

[@rickdrais9737]

I first saw The Uninvited when I was nineteen or twenty. I was not impressed. I was still a kid, and wanted to see monsters when I watched Portland’s then-iconic Sinister Cinema. Of course, years and years later I actually watched it and fell in love. It’s Val Lewton meets Alfred Hitchcock with a shade of Noir. And one of the best jump-scares I’ve ever seen, in which you see absolutely nothing but a door flying open. And STILL it scares you. I own a BluRay copy and have watched it a zillion times. And it gave us a Jazz classic: Stella By Starlight

[@tskmaster3837]

Produced by John Houseman, most likely known these days for his cameo in the Naked Gun. What a career. A long, weird career.

[@euansmith3699]

I remember him from his role in "Rollerball". His voice was just magical.

[@Torgo-and-the-Lucifer-Cat]

Thanks. Atmosphere like "the haunting". (Except in that one, it's not a "ghost" haunting the house). Reminds one of Lewton. ❤

[@mcdent6034]

Thanks Robin

[@stevegreenfield758]

Ray Milland should have got an Oscar for "The Thing With Two Heads".😀

[@davidlionheart2438]

I think he was probably satisfied with the Oscar he already had.

[@dirkstarbuck6126]

Sire Uri from the original BSG pilot, Saga of a Star World.

[@tomjohnson4922]

I've seen the Uninvited a few times and I like it, haven't seen The Unseen yet though I normally like Joel McCrea

[@mahatmarandy5977]

Speaking of Ray Milland, have yu ever reviewed “Panic in the Year Zero?”

[@andrewyoung2796]

Poor. Gail 😢

[@historylover]

Love The Uninvited

[@annnichols3091]

"The Unseen" reminds unseen by myself.

[@johnpendarvis7885]

Gail Russell was gorgeous. Sadly, she passed away at 36.

[@christophertomasello1227]

I enjoy your presentations very much because with films like " The uninvited I get a heartfelt love letter and conversely with films like "Zontar" I'm laughing my ass off. Not too many KZbinrs do this.btw, you MUST see Korean film "Space Monster Wangmagwi. If you like a good challenge this is it.

[@mattymac1399]

Love The Uninvited. However, Imprint prices are Unsightly.

[@willamsandell1082]

love the Uninvited ..a very scary film

[@l.a.gothro3999]

Is that Alan Napier in "The Uninvited"?

[@DarkCornersReviews]

Yes it is

[@TheRealNormanBates]

Have you seen/reviewed *The Innocents (1961)?*

[@DarkCornersReviews]

Seen yes, reviewed no

[@LUISPRIME]

Are these Australian Blu-ray boxset playable on US players?

[@DarkCornersReviews]

Yes. They are region free

[@patriciadilday447]

😁

[@dannystaton5386]

Ooooo😮

[@JamiJR]

Um, got to be honest, I watched this awhile ago and while I enjoy old horror movies, The Uninvited bored me.

[@kevenpinder7025]

I first saw The Uninvited on local broadcast TV in the 60s. I couldn't believe they showed a movie so intensely creepy on a Sunday morning. Whatever were they thinking? Sadly, it's gender political themes have not aged well. Hypervigilant SJWs will chafe, but less prickly types should be able to appreciate the whirling mix of trying to suss out just who was whom on the villainy scale when they are all are dead and the handful of living witnesses ain't talking.

[@civicmindedjimthehonest6389]

I have a mullet 😏

[@ralphyetmore]

I was like #666 🤘