Made in 1944, The Uninvited set up many cliches for the haunted house subgenre of horror films. From the slow yet careful build up that leaves hints of ghosts being present, to an eerie seance that aids the characters in uncovering the mysteries of the house they've bought, this movie became the standard by which other supernatural movies were judged. Some comedy and even a love story are also thrown into the mix, although they are largely cast aside when the spirits of the dead pop up and make a visit. There is very little special effects involved, too, which is a nice touch, which gives the movie an additional touch of eerie atmosphere. The movie also lacks jump scares, something that ghost movies have abused way too much over the years, although in this case a jump scare would have heavily frightened the movie's audience seeing it was the 1940s. In fact, this is a film that would have been at home in the Val Lewton collection.
Despite some dull moments, The Uninvited is a carefully made treat of a ghost movie. While there isn't much more to discuss, the horror genre would not have so many great and scary supernatural driven movies over the decades. Apparently there was an attempt at a sequel, but I have little interest in viewing it. Some movies are best left to stand alone. 90
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