movie review the uninvited 1944

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The Uninvited

1944, Horror, 1h 38m

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The uninvited   photos.

While vacationing on the English coast, composer Rick Fitzgerald (Ray Milland) and his sister Pamela (Ruth Hussey) find an an abandoned 18th-century house and decide to buy it. The owner, Commander Beech (Donald Crisp), associates it with the tragic death of his daughter and is willing to part with it despite his granddaughter Stella's (Gail Russell) objection. The Fitzgeralds move in and soon find themselves, with the help of Stella, battling it out with two very prickly ghosts.

Genre: Horror

Original Language: English

Director: Lewis Allen

Producer: Charles Brackett

Release Date (Theaters): Feb 10, 1944  original

Release Date (Streaming): Mar 10, 2017

Runtime: 1h 38m

Distributor: Paramount Pictures

Production Co: Paramount

Cast & Crew

Ray Milland

Roderick Fitzgerald

Ruth Hussey

Pamela Fitzgerald

Gail Russell

Stella Meredith

Donald Crisp

Commander Beech

Cornelia Otis Skinner

Miss Holloway

Dorothy Stickney

Barbara Everest

Lizzie Flynn

Alan Napier

Jessica Newcombe

Miss Edith Ellis

John Kiernan

Foreword Narrator Voice

David Clyde

Lewis Allen

Charles Brackett

Critic Reviews for The Uninvited

Audience reviews for the uninvited.

An large abandoned home on the stormy and mysterious English coast is the setting for this leisurely stroll into the supernatural as a curious team (brother and sister, do ya get that in films much?) stumble into a old unbelievable claim of the house being haunted. It can't be true, it just can't be. And that's just one reason why this is a decent flick, as it begins by embracing the doubt we all feel when the subject of ghosts come up ... before a slow descent into unknown territory. The thing moves right along too, w/o the draggy feel films this old usually have, and though the script is convoluted it ties together at the end okay. Wait for the twist, it's pretty good.

Part ghost story and part who-dunnit mystery, 1944's "The Uninvited" takes the mind into the musty basements and cobwebbed corners of the dark unknown. Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey star as a brother and sister who stumble upon a great, abandoned seaside mansion on the English coast and quickly (or rather impulsively) decide to buy it. The owners, old commander Beech (Donald Crisp) and his granddaughter Stella (Gail Russell) seem to have very differing opinions of the old mansion and it's prospecive buyers, and it becomes all to clear there's more to the situation than meets the eye. The upstairs artist' studio, for example, has an air of depressing dankness in spite of it's great windows and spectacular view. There's also the matter of the mysterious cold draft that sets the hairs on the back of your neck on edge, even as it carries the scent of flowered perfume. It's here that the movie works most effectively, as characters squint and peer into impenetrable darkness, so we too in the audience do likewise, hoping to catch some glint off the tv screen as to what it is that menaces the young Stella and her friends. The Uninvited is very much a film of it's time, in that it never gets too dark or sinister. However, things like ouiji boards and seances are given quite effective use in the film. "The forces at work here are dangerous", and it's true. But what's more dangerous: hauntings and ghosts, or their effect on the human psyche? This film is more along the lines of "The Ghost and Mrs Muir" or perhaps even "The Thin Man" in terms of feeling and quality. Even though there are plenty of light-hearted 1940s moments, I can't deny the eeriness of this film.

The Uninvited has been right at the top of my must see list for years now and any film with that amount of build up is liable to disappoint; but that is not the case with this film, as The Uninvited really lives up to it's billing as one of the best ghost stories ever committed to celluloid! The film works because it is not over reliant on any one element of it; there's enough human drama to be interesting but not overbearing while the story is important but doesn't get in the way of the drama and this is all wrapped up in a thoroughly foreboding atmosphere. The plot focuses on an old house by a cliff side. Brother and sister(!) Roderick and Pamela Fitzgerald take one look at the house and fall in love with it instantly and after speaking with the house owner, a Commander Beech, agree a price to buy the house. The deal is initially unwelcome by the Commander's granddaughter Stella as it was once her mother's house, who died when she was three years old. However, she soon starts up a friendship with the brother and it's not long before they realise that something is not quite right with the house. The film is directed by Lewis Allen and he does a really good job with it. Much of the film takes place at night and this allows him to deliver a thoroughly chilling atmosphere and the way that the house is soaked in shadows is creepy in the extreme. The characters walk around with only candles to light the way and this fits in very well with the blood curdling screams of the unseen phantoms! The film stars the great Ray Milland, and he delivers a great performance; owning the screen with a charismatic swagger and helping to keep things interesting. The film also stars the beautiful Gail Russell as the love interest. The ghost plot almost takes a backseat at times to the developing love story between Milland and Russell's characters, but this is not a problem since the film always remains intriguing. The ghost story is not particularly complex but it has more than enough about it to carry along the film and the atmosphere. It all boils down to a suitable ending and overall this really is a brilliant little ghost story and one that should be a must see for all horror fans!

A welcome surprise in my diet of mostly modern and mainstream movies. A simple ghost story that turns out to be one of the best. The film is beautifully shot by Charles Lang. Mostly dark and atmospheric, it gives the film a somewhat dark tone, yet light at the same time. A wonderful score from Victor Young, who subsequently won an Oscar for his work here. A wonderful cast of characters, beginning with Ray Milland, Alan Napier, Ruth Hussey and the beautiful Gail Russell. Everybody does great work here. The film is also very well written, always moving and the dialogue is often witty and charming. While a great deal of exposition is given throughout the course of the latter half of the film, it's always interesting and doesn't lose its value. The film is creepy and fun, but never goes for flat-out scares. A rather romantic tale. All in all, a classic film that I really adore.

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The Uninvited (1944) Film Review B-

DIRECTOR: Lewis Allen.

Bottom line: a queer ghost story with so many lesbian characters that it’s challenging to keep count it’s either four (three living and one dead) or five (three living and two dead). “the uninvited” was a big hit back in 1944 and still entertains. the film opens with lesbian number one, pamela fitzgerald, played by ruth hussey. pamela and her brother rick (ray miland, then at the peak of his hollywood stardom) fall in love with an old house on the cornwall coast of england. the way director lewis allen introduces his film, you initially think they are newlyweds, which is quite naughty of him. it’s only after you notice huussey’s very boyish “do” that you know this cannot be the case heavens our brother and sister combo discover a room with a chill – it’s a few degrees cooler than the rest of their dream house. turns out the ghost of lesbian number two haunts it. that would be mary meredith. mary, like hitchcock’s rebecca four years earlier, died under mysterious circumstances by falling off a nearby cliff, and it seems that she wants her daughter stella (gail russell, looking beautiful before the effects of her alcoholism began to show) to die in the same way. however, the communication between mother and daughter feels more erotic than maternal, and stella likes it good grief, it’s lesbian number three. it also transpires that mary, before she passed to the other side of the sapphic divide, had a female lover, leading us to lesbian number four, miss holloway, played by gay writer and actress cornelia otis skinner. now, this is where things get complicated. it turns out that there is a second, seemingly more benevolent ghost named carmel, the mistress of stella’s father. carmel is also very interested in stella. is she lesbian number five or are her concerns more maternal than mary’s well, there will be no spoilers here, the movie gives you the occasional shiver, and it’s fun to see how hussey and skinner interpret their queer characters – hussey taking the comedic approach and skinner giving us a variation on judith anderson’s mrs. danvers. today, what dazzles are charles lang’s immaculate, oscar-nominated, black-and-white cinematography and victor young’s haunting theme for stella, which was later made into a song with lyrics by ned washington entitled “stella by starlight.” the costumes are by gay costume designer edith head. adapted from the novel by dorothy macardle ., the film was so hugely popular that director allen and star russell went on to make another horror movie/ghost story called “the unseen,” another monster hit, which was released the following year., now, as to the sexual preferences of ray milland’s rick. well, he is a music critic……hmmmmmm.

65 Queer Films Made Under the Hays Code (1934-1967) Part One. – TheBrownees

65 Queer Films Made Under the Hays Code (1934-1967). Part Two. – TheBrownees

65 Queer Films Made Under the Hays Code (Table) – TheBrownees

45 Queer Films from 1967-1976: Queer Cinema Comes Out – TheBrownees

STREAMING: “The Uninvited ” is unavailable for streaming. However, the DVD can be purchased at Amazon .

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The Uninvited

A composer and his sister discover that the reason they are able to purchase a beautiful gothic seacoast mansion very cheaply is the house's unsavory past. A composer and his sister discover that the reason they are able to purchase a beautiful gothic seacoast mansion very cheaply is the house's unsavory past. A composer and his sister discover that the reason they are able to purchase a beautiful gothic seacoast mansion very cheaply is the house's unsavory past.

• Lewis Allen
• Dodie Smith
• Frank Partos
• Dorothy Macardle
• Ray Milland
• Ruth Hussey
• Donald Crisp
• 168 User reviews
• 91 Critic reviews
• 1 nomination total

• Roderick Fitzgerald

• Pamela Fitzgerald

• Cmdr. Beech

• Miss Holloway

• Lizzie Flynn

• Stella Meredith

• Ben - Boat Owner
• (uncredited)
• Carmel's Ghost
• Ghost of Mary Meredith

• Charlie Jessup

• Taxi Driver
• Foreword Narrator

• Mrs. Taylor

• Mrs. Coatsworthy
• Miss Edith Ellis
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia Moyna MacGill (the mother of Angela Lansbury ) has an uncredited role as the customer who enters the cigar shop while Roderick is speaking with the proprietor.
• Goofs The film is set in 1937, but the "going-to-church" sequence features a car with headlights blacked out in the style required due to WWII in the early 1940s.

Pamela Fitzgerald : Well, I must dash back to Lizzie. We're fighting over how much Sherry to put in a tipsy pudding. She wants to make it dead drunk.

• Connections Featured in 100 Years of Horror: Ghosts (1996)
• Soundtracks To Stella by Starlight (uncredited) Music by Victor Young Played on piano by Ray Milland (dubbed) and heard as a main theme in the score. Richard Hayman and his Orchestra performed the music. Richard Hayman also played the harmonica solo in the piece.

User reviews 168

• Nov 10, 2006
• How long is The Uninvited? Powered by Alexa
• What are the Twenty Turrets that Rick asks for in the shop?
• What is 'The Uninvited' about?
• Is 'The Uninvited' based on a book?
• September 1, 1944 (Argentina)
• United States
• Phoenix, Arizona, USA
• Paramount Pictures
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 39 minutes
• Black and White

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The Original Ghostly Thrills of ‘The Uninvited’

Beyond the Classics  is a bi-weekly column in which  Emily Kubincanek highlights lesser-known old movies and examines what makes them memorable. In this installment, she discusses the terrifying allure of The Uninvited. 

We don’t usually turn to very old films to be scared. The classic Universal Monsters movies are creepy and entertaining and were groundbreaking for their time, but modern viewers have been conditioned to much worse images than what appears in, say, Dracula or Frankenstein . Still haunting viewers to this day, however, is Paramount’s 1944 feature The Uninvited , which broke the boundaries that horror films were confined to in Hollywood at the time.

By the 1940s, studios no longer needed to rely on elaborate makeup to transform actors in order to frighten audiences. Myths and otherworldly creatures of the past decade became campy in comparison to the frank and personal horror of The Uninvited . This film is the predecessor to the numerous paranormal-driven movies we consume year after year. And its craft and story remain the blueprint for lesser attempts to terrify moviegoers.

The movie begins as most ghost stories do: two people find a gorgeous old house lying empty and wasted. They buy it despite inklings that there’s a reason no one lives there. Soon, they regret not believing their gut feeling and the possibility of something evil in the house.

Siblings Rick ( Ray Milland ) and Pam ( Ruth Hussey ) find the Windward mansion while on vacation at the English seaside. They approach the owner, Commander Beech ( Donald Crisp ), with an offer to buy the house on the spot. But his granddaughter, Stella ( Gail Russell ), refuses to allow the house to be sold. Her mother, Mary, died there when Stella was a girl. And despite her being forbidden to visit, Stella is still protective of the house. The Commander ignores Stella’s wishes, though, and sells the house anyway.

As they settle in, Rick and Pam feel uneasy about their new home. The attic room is freezing no matter the weather. Their pets refuse to go upstairs. Other tell-tale signs of spirits in the house go ignored until one night they hear a woman sobbing. She wails until the sun rises, but they find no one else in the house. The cries “come from everywhere and nowhere.”

While they continue to experience unusual happenings, Rick falls in love with Stella. He learns more about her mother and what went on in the house years ago. Everyone assumes Mary’s fall off the cliff behind the house was an accident, but soon two ghosts begin to haunt the home. Rick and Pam learn of Stella’s father’s mistress and begin to suspect that foul play resulted in Mary’s death as well as the mistress’ shortly after. Through seances and all-nighters, the siblings find that Stella’s mother is longing to reach her, but she’s not the mother Stella believed she was.

Ghosts were not new to Hollywood films   in 1944. Characters from beyond the grave were featured in comedies like Topper and Buster Keaton’s The Haunted House , but a serious horror ghost film had not yet succeeded in Hollywood. What set The Uninvited apart was its simple yet mostly believable story. Human hurt and traumatic loss are aspects that all of us can connect with. And they were what so many people were grappling with during World War II when this movie came out. Many of the horror movies that predated The Uninvited  also tackled the fears of society at the time, but they were often buried deep within metaphor and spectacle. In this movie, those themes are right on the surface.

In reviews from 1944 and in retrospective essays about The Uninvited , writers tend to describe it as sophisticated, intelligent, and high-brow. Immediately, the movie held a reputation for being above other horror films — it was basically an early example of “elevated horror” (or “higher bracket horror pictures” as Jack Cartwright wrote at the time — and that reputation is still intact today.

But what exactly separates this ghost story from other horror and supernatural films? Director Lewis Allen employs the trusted tactic of keeping the scariest images off-screen. However, The Uninvited also differs from the monster movies that used that same idea. The ghosts that haunt Windward are scariest when we cannot see them and their terror doesn’t lie in their monstrous looks. Allen refrains from showing the ghostly women too much, but the misty apparition we do see is just enough to confirm our fears.

There’s also a romance to this ghost story that allows for it to have comedic and sentimental reprieves from the creepy scenes. Rick feels for Stella and the sad life she’s been dealt, leading him to want to save her from the tragic fate she seems to be destined to. In one of the best scenes in the film, Rick serenades Stella with a song he writes for her, aptly titled “ Stella by Starlight .” It’s dreamy and romantic while leaning into the dissonance just as the ghosts seem to make their presence known. Love and fear exist in the same space in this scene, which feels rare in horror.

“Stella by Starlight” ended up becoming a massive hit in popular music after the release of The Uninvited , testifying to its ability to woo the audience even during a frightful scene. Famous singers including Anita O’Day, Miles Davis, and even Frank Sinatra covered the song with lyrics that were added later.

As we think about The Uninvited  today, its production tells us a lot about why it remains so culturally significant. When producer Charles Brackett bought the rights to Dorothy Macardle ‘s 1941 novel, he had Alfred Hitchcock in mind to direct. Hitchcock had made Rebecca a year earlier in a similar fashion to what Brackett imagined  The Uninvited  could be: moody, gothic, and haunting. Brackett met with Hitchcock, who read the book but could not direct due to scheduling conflicts. Hitchcock did give some suggestions to Brackett, but whether or not he used those suggestions is unknown.

After the first grueling revision process on Dodie Smith ‘s original script, Brackett recruited Allen to direct his very first Hollywood film. The script would continue to be worked on even after Allen signed on, which shows that to achieve a screenplay like that of The Uninvited , there needs to be a lot more work than many horror films receive.

On top of that, Allen approached the film from a down-to-earth and honest perspective. In a 1997 interview he said of his approach: “Well, I think the whole point when you’re making a scary movie is to try and be honest and as straightforward as you can. And not be a phony. I treated  The Uninvited as though I believed in it.”

Allen was not going for what he believed would get the most scares out of his audience. He went for what he believed in. As a result, he directed a movie we could believe in, too, and that made it much scarier than movies that came before.

Since  The Uninvited  was released in 1944, its story has been redone in different forms. We can see glimpses of The Innocents , The Amityville Horror ,  The Changeling , and Crimson Peak  in the standard that  The Uninvited set. Those are the most successful versions of the ghost and haunted house story Allen brought to the screen. Even the bad renditions seem to be popular with audiences still, perhaps because we are searching for the feeling  The Uninvited  originally gave us — the feeling we can’t find anywhere else.

Related Topics: Beyond the Classics

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The great italian film that followed the wwii ban on horror, the movie that almost ruined hollywood’s most romanticized marriage, ‘mary stevens, m.d.’ and the approachable modern woman kay francis, ‘targets’ made modern horror more real and more terrifying.

ScreenAge Wasteland

Welcome to the wasteland, ‘the uninvited’ (1944) review.

• by Bob Cram
• Posted on March 19, 2021 March 23, 2021

“Now, don’t get rattled, Pam. There’s a logical explanation for this. “

I’ve somehow stumbled into a theme month this March, with 13 Ghosts and Ghostwatch pointing the way to a spectral spook-fest, if I wanted to follow up on it. I also ran into scheduling problems this week, so I found myself in a bind with not as much time as I usually have to write up my review. So this older review of a classic ghost story suggested itself as a way out of my predicament. I updated a few things, but it’s mostly as it was originally written a few years back. Resurrected, if you’ll forgive the pun. New stuff next week – I’ve got my eye on a couple of J-Horror ghost stories.

I rented The Uninvited assuming that I’d never seen it before – I’d been eyeing the Criterion Collection release for a while, but it was completely based on the film’s reputation as one of the first to treat ghosts in a straightforward fashion. ( Up until The Uninvited the ghost was primarily used in comedies and was most often a gag or hoax.) I couldn’t quite bring myself to buy a film sight unseen, however, especially at Criterion prices. When we (briefly) re-upped our Netflix DVD subscription this was one of the first movies on the list – I could finally see this classic!

Unfortunately, as the movie started with the brother and sister (Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey) approaching a huge house on a cliff top, I realized that I HAD seen the movie before. Seen it and been unimpressed. It was long enough ago that I couldn’t actually remember when I’d seen it, though. Perhaps on one of those Saturday afternoons at Gram’s that I’ve mentioned a few times.

I turned the film off and paced the basement for a few minutes. This was actually the second movie I’d rented erroneously thinking I hadn’t seen it, and I was annoyed with myself. I thought about just looking for something else, either in the collection or on streaming, but I’d had a long day and wasn’t much in the mood to go trawling. I’d been looking forward to a good old-fashioned ghost story as well. Time ticked by. Finally, disgusted with my own indecision, I turned the machine back and sat down to watch. I wasn’t looking forward to it anymore, but it was better than dithering.

The Medium The Criterion DVD of The Uninvited is good, looking sharp on my screen even though it’s not HD quality. Unlike some recent DVDs I’ve gotten from Netflix, this one had a few extras on it – including a ‘pictorial essay’ which is as boring as it sounds. I imagine the Blu-ray is well worth it.

Unfortunately, The Uninvited doesn’t appear to be available on streaming at the moment, not even on Criterion’s own channel.

The Movie The Uninvited follows a pair of siblings, Rick and Pamela Fitzgerald (Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey). On a vacation together in Cornwall they stumble across an abandoned cliffside house. Taken with the resemblance to their own childhood residence they inquire about it with the owner, Commander Beech (Donald Crisp). In short order they purchase it for an extremely low price.

During the transaction they meet the Commander’s granddaughter, Stella (Gail Russell), who is very upset at the sale. The house (called Windward House) was once her mother’s, and she feels it is the last connection she has with her, it being the place where her mother died. Stella’s grandfather has forbidden her to visit the place, but she’s invited to visit by Rick, who is attracted to her and tries to get her to shake off her conformity by going sailing with him.

At this point I was still pretty unhappy with things and the general tone – more romantic comedy than spookfest – wasn’t making me feel much better. I think my mood allowed me to disregard things that were already slightly off in the film – the locked door at the top of the stairs, the weird insistence by the Commander about Stella staying away from Windward. Still, I soldiered on.

Things do get more spooky after the Fitzgeralds purchase the house. While most of the house is fine the locked room turns out to be a study with a distinctly chilly air. (Aesthetically, it’s one of the most beautiful sets, so it was difficult to buy it as being an awful room.) In fact, the room seems to suck all the joy and energy out of anyone who enters it – both Rick and Pamela are almost overcome with ennui. So of course Rick chooses it as his study, where he’ll write music!

The night Rick returns from London (where he goes almost immediately after the purchase of the house – leaving Pamela to start renovating) he awakens to the sound of a woman sobbing and moaning. Assuming it’s his sister or the housekeeper he creeps out into the hall. When his sister also comes into the hall she informs him that there’s a ghost in the house. Rick, trying to be sensible, insists there has to be a rational explanation. Sure buddy. Sure there is.

Stella comes to visit for dinner at Rick’s express invitation and she senses a spirit, which she assumes is her mother due to the strong accompanying scent of mimosa, her mother’s favorite perfume. Overcome by some force she dashes for the cliff before Rick saves her at the last second. She has no memory of the event.

Okay, okay things are starting to pick up here. The ghost moaning is pretty creepy and it’s fun to watch Rick’s face as he tries to convince himself that there’s nothing supernatural going on. The sudden flight by Stella towards the cliff is startling as well. Things get more interesting as the town doctor, Dr. Scott (Alan Napier) gets involved. First he helps with Stella and then gives the Fitzgeralds some more background info on how her mother died.

Seems Stella’s father, a painter, had an affair with a gypsy woman named Carmel. Stella’s mother, Mary Meredith, took Carmel to Paris and left her there. At some point Carmel returned and, during a struggle, flung Mary Meredith from the cliff. She died herself not long after.

Now we’re entering Gothic romance territory! This movie is getting better all the time. Soon they’re throwing a fake séance to try and break Stella’s unnatural attraction to the place, but it all goes awry of course, with the glass moving by itself and Stella being possessed by a spirit and talking in Spanish.

The Commander gets wind of all this and responds by sending Stella to a sanitarium run by a woman named Miss Holloway (Cornelia Otis Skinner) – who turns out to have once been a friend of Mary Meredith. The Fitzgeralds and Dr. Scott continue their investigations, even interviewing Miss Hollaway while unaware that Stella has been imprisoned on the premises.

Things build from there with conspiracies, TWO ghosts, and a frightening climactic confrontation at Windward. I don’t want to give too much away, even though it’s been 60 years since the film came out. I saw the twists coming, but they’re fun and I don’t want to spoil anything for folks who haven’t seen it.

The cinematography is excellent and on the whole the film is really well made, with good pacing, sets and acting. The special effects are few, but they’re effective when used. I usually like Ray Milland a lot – even in low-budget films like Frogs – but he’s a little stiff here. I would have loved to see Jimmy Stewart in the same role, as I think he would have had more energy and range. Still, Rick is likeable and his expressions really are priceless sometimes. Ruth Hussey is great and Gail Russell is just stunning.

The Bottom Line I must have been in a mood the first time I saw The Uninvited , because it’s excellent. Yes, it’s a melodrama and there’s plenty of romantic shenanigans, but there’s also some atmospheric spookiness and good, old-fashioned ghost action as well. I ended up liking it a lot, and recommend it for lovers of classic (and romantic) horror.

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Author: Bob Cram

Would like to be mysterious but is instead, at best, slightly ambiguous. View all posts by Bob Cram

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The uninvited.

1944 Directed by Lewis Allen

The Story of a Love That is Out of This World!

A brother and sister move into an old seaside house that has been abandoned for many years on the Cornwellian coast only to soon discover that it is haunted by the ghost of the mother of their neighbor's granddaughter, with whom the brother has fallen in love.

Ray Milland Ruth Hussey Gail Russell Donald Crisp Alan Napier Cornelia Otis Skinner Barbara Everest Dorothy Stickney Queenie Leonard Rita Page Holmes Herbert Moyna MacGill

Director Director

Lewis Allen

Producer Producer

Charles Brackett

Writers Writers

Frank Partos Dodie Smith

Original Writer Original Writer

Dorothy Macardle

Editor Editor

Doane Harrison

Cinematography Cinematography

Charles Lang

Executive Producer Exec. Producer

Buddy G. DeSylva

Art Direction Art Direction

Hans Dreier Ernst Fegté

Set Decoration Set Decoration

Stephen Seymour

Composer Composer

Victor Young

Costume Design Costume Design

Makeup makeup.

Wally Westmore

Releases by Date

10 feb 1944, 24 feb 1944, 26 feb 1944, 07 apr 1944, 23 may 1950, releases by country.

• Theatrical 16
• Theatrical PG London
• Premiere Washington, D.C.
• Theatrical NR

99 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by sakana1 ★★★½ 18

For me, the most interesting thing about The Uninvited is the fact that no one in it is married.

Commander Beech (Donald Crisp), at one time was an exception to this rule, but his wife passed away and he never remarried. Everyone else, apart from the 20-year-old Gail (Gail Russell), is well past the age at which heterosexual, god-fearing Brits were expected to marry (and she's getting there — at least in the United States, within a few years, the average age for a woman entering into marriage was 19).

And yet, there are no issues. No dark talk about those odd Fitzgerald siblings (Ray Milland as Rick, and Ruth Hussey as Pamela) and why they live together, and what…

Review by nathaxnne [hiatus <3] ★★★

More family melodrama than chilling ghost tale, The Uninvited has some awesome special effects, used sparingly, and a predominantly warm, jocular tone. There is a forebodingly emptied house on a seaside cliff, a shut down grandfather/granddaughter, a witty, laughing brother/sister, a mysterious past to uncover, troubled romantic difficulties and a couple of really cute pets. The sort of ghost story for those viewers wary of ghostly tales or sensitive to extended stretches of unnervation.

Review by SilentDawn ★★★½

Quaint, cute, with just the right level of spookiness. Edith Head's costuming work is absolutely ravishing. Love those seaside vibes. Classical Hollywood horror is always a treat.

Review by Justin Peterson ★★★½ 4

Criterion Collection Spine #677 (Halloween Movie Fest 2019)

The original haunted house movie serves up plenty of melodrama, along with a satisfying amount of paranormal activity.

"That's not because there are most ghosts here then other places, mind you. It's just that people who live here are strangely aware of them. You see, day and night, year in, year out, they listen to the pound and stir of the waves. There's life and death in that restless sound. And eternity too."

At first The Uninvited feels like your typical medium-paced 1940s black and white family drama. But as the story progresses, minor bumps and moans in the night escalate into some great ghostly moments and even an eerie séance. The…

Review by Sara Clements ★★★★★ 1

"Hey there, demons! It's me, ya boy" – Ray Milland probably

This is a clear example of me watching a film just because I love the poster, but it turned out to be fantastic. I'm a sucker for a good ghost story and I think this was told beautifully with some great twists as well. The use of light and shadow made for gorgeous cinematography, with the ghost actually looking like a ghost as opposed to just some actor peering through a window *coughs* The Innocents *coughs*. This had a real Rebecca feel to it too from the big house overlooking a monstrous cliff, to the "crazy lesbian who can't get over her deceased lover" storyline thrown in. I definitely would recommend this for anyone in that spooky mood.

Review by Bre ★★★★ 2

Bold of them to assume in labeling this a horror film that I would not pay good money to live in a haunted house with Ray Milland and have him write sad piano songs and fight ghosts for me

Review by Branson Reese 2

AITA: I (66m) made up a ghost story to keep my granddaughter (20f) from hanging out with our new neighbors because they're a brother and sister couple and frankly I think it's icky.

I'm surprised people aren't warmer on this one. I really liked it. It's sort of a medium-funny screwball comedy until it isn't, and the shift worked really well for me. This isn't Abbot and Costello Meet Several Ghosts. It asks you to fear the ghosts and take their threat seriously. It's easier to get pulled into something like this if your guard's down. As much as I love a slow pan through a foggy graveyard, it can sometimes be playing a little too fair to open with…

Review by Rafael "Parker!!" Jovine ★★★ 6

A couple of siblings stumble upon an abandoned mansion, which, what would you know? Its damn haunted, in this part Rebecca , part The Haunting , overall a pretty generic spooky movie.

If you have seen as much as haunted mansion or homes house by now you will probably see every trope coming miles away, as well as the ending. For most of its part, the performances are very good and the fun many of the cast brings to the table along with some much dramatic work from Cornelia Otis Skinner chewing many of the scenes as the antagonist of the story. The effects for the ghost, especially for the time, were pretty solid too.

All in all, while from an historical…

Review by Slig001 ★★★★

I've always found this film to be really odd, mainly for the relationship between the two lead characters. What a weird set-up for a brother and sister to be buying a house together! Anyway...There's much more to this film than that. Lewis Allen's melodramatic chiller is both an absorbing drama and haunting ghost story. It has to be said that the film generally isn't massively exciting but it defines its characters and situation well and settles into itself quickly. The Cornish coast makes for a great location and the director makes best use of the old formerly abandoned house, with many dark scenes lit by candlelight. The ghost story itself takes hold properly in the third act and features a handful of twists and turns to keep the audience guessing. It's all held together courtesy of a strong performance from the great Ray Milland.

Review by Adam Nayman ★★★★ 1

God bless TCM; recorded this and watched it on an early morning baby wake-up and it’s sublimely beautiful, starting with those rolling, implacable waves and gliding through what’s got to be one of great movie haunted houses, rising up against the sea as if at the end of the world.

Review by Dr. Ethan Lyon ★★★★½ 4

Hooptober 7.0, pt.36- Stella by Starlight

14/6 Countries- USA, Italy, Japan, Canada, UK, Norway, Spain, Greece, Mexico, Czech Republic/Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Russia, China 11/6 Decades- 1980s, 1970s, 2010s, 2000s, 1990s, 1950s, 1960s, 1920s, 1910s, 1930s, 1940s

1st Lewis Allen

It's another Long Review!

And so, with this, the circle closes and all of the decades have been completed. I do have one more film technically on the docket before I go freeform, but there's something quite nice about wrapping things up with a piece of classic Hollywood Horror, even if it's rather a-traditional. Spooky? Yes, but scary? Not especially. The Uninvited belongs more to that sub-genre of the Gothic romance often associated with Rebecca and indeed the film was marketed…

Review by megan ★★★½

Oh, to run across the lawn from a haunted countryside manor at midnight wearing a long flowing gown.

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The Uninvited

Time out says, release details.

• Duration: 98 mins

Cast and crew

• Director: Lewis Allen
• Screenwriter: Dodie Smith, Frank Partos
• Ray Milland
• Gail Russell
• Ruth Hussey
• Donald Crisp
• Cornelia Otis Skinner
• Barbara Everest
• Alan Napier

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MPAA Rating

Produced by, released by, the uninvited (1944), directed by lewis allen.

• AllMovie Rating 8
• User Ratings ( 0 )
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• Overview ↓
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson

Characteristics, related movies.

The Uninvited

• Photos & Videos

Film Details

• Articles & Reviews

Brief Synopsis

Cast & crew, lewis allen, ray milland, ruth hussey, donald crisp, cornelia otis skinner, dorothy stickney, photos & videos, technical specs.

In May 1937, Londoners Roderick "Rick" Fitzgerald and his sister Pamela are at the end of their vacation on the Cornwall coast when they discover an uninhabited cliffside mansion. Drawn inside, Pamela becomes determined to buy the house and convinces composer Rick that he could live there and continue his work. When they go to see the owner, Commander Beech, his charming twenty-year-old granddaughter, Stella Meredith, insists that the mansion, called Windward House, is not for sale. Beech, however, agrees to sell after advising the Fitzgeralds that the previous residents complained of strange occurrences in the house. The next day, a shopkeeper tells Rick that years earlier, Beech's daughter, Mary Meredith, fell from the cliff in front of the house and died. When Rick then encounters Stella in the street, she apologizes for her previous behavior, and he decides to take the serious young woman sailing. During the sail, Stella distracts a seasick Rick by telling him about how her mother, Mary Meredith, who wore mimosa-scented perfume, lived at Windward for three years after Stella was born. Before he leaves for London on business, Rick asks Stella to visit Pamela at the house, but when Rick returns with his housekeeper, Lizzie Flynn, he finds out that Beech rejected Pamela's invitation to have Stella over for tea. That night, Rick is awakened by the sound of a woman sobbing, and Pamela confesses that she has heard this crying every night just before dawn. Although Stella later tells Rick that her grandfather refuses to allow her to go to Windward, she accepts Rick's dinner invitation and argues with Beech about it. After the confrontation, Beech makes an appointment with Miss Holloway, Mary Meredith's best friend, who now runs The Mary Meredith Retreat for the mentally disturbed. That night in Windward's upstairs studio, where Rick and Pamela have felt strange chills and a malevolent presence, Rick plays a serenade that he has written for Stella called "Stella by Starlight." At first, Stella is touched by the music, but when the candles flicker, she becomes obsessed with the thought that she has been cruel by enjoying herself in the house where her mother died. Stella runs out of the house toward the cliff, and Rick follows, grabbing her before she falls. Just then, Lizzie screams from inside and reports having seen a woman standing by the studio door. Stella wanders alone into the studio, and Rick later finds her lying unconscious on the floor. Rick and Pamela send for the town doctor, Dr. Scott, who treats Stella for shock and suggests that she spend the night. Scott, who met Pamela after finding her dog, stays up all night with her and Rick, and relates what he knows about the history of Windward: Mary's husband, an artist, fell in love with his Spanish gypsy model, Carmel. The affair was a public scandal, and Carmel was sent to live in Paris. The Merediths accompanied her there and returned from Europe with their baby, Stella. Soon after, Carmel followed them to Windward and died of pneumonia a week after Mary fell from the cliff, while trying to save Carmel from suicide. Just before dawn, Pamela, Rick and Scott smell the scent of mimosa in the den and find Stella out of her bed, insisting that she felt her mother's presence. Later, Rick, who has fallen in love with Stella, urges her to move to London with him, but Stella is convinced that her mother awaits her at Windward. Rick conceives of a plan to disenchant Stella from Windward by holding a séance at which Stella's "mother" will tell her to stay away. The séance calls up a real ghost, however, who transmits through an anagram the words "I guard" and "Carmel." After a glass flies from the table and smashes, Stella goes into a trance, during which she speaks fluent Spanish as a mimosa scent fills the chilled room. Beech, who has returned from his trip to see Holloway, breaks into the house and, seeing the proceedings, takes Stella home, and dismisses Dr. Scott as her physician. After Stella is sedated, Beech asks Holloway to cure her and puts his granddaughter in her custody. Rick becomes convinced that Stella will never be well until the house is purged of its ghosts, and decides to discover all the facts surrounding the death of Stella's mother. Learning about Miss Holloway from the gardener, Rick and Pamela go to see her at the retreat, unaware that Stella has been incarcerated there. Holloway tells them her version of the Meredith story: Mary, an extraordinary person, took the evil Carmen to Paris and saw her well-situated, but Carmel returned for Mary's husband. One stormy night, desperate to hurt the Merediths, Carmel picked up three-year-old Stella and raced to the edge of the cliff. After Mary struggled with Carmel and was pushed over the edge, Carmel disappeared and returned with pneumonia. Holloway grudgingly nursed her, but Carmel died. Stella, meanwhile, realizes that she has been institutionalized and grows resentful. Pamela and Rick consult with Dr. Scott, who digs up the records of the previous town physician. The records reveal that the physician suspected Holloway of criminal neglect in the death of Carmel. After Beech suffers an attack, Scott is called to his house, and gives the medical book to the Fitzgeralds. When they learn that Stella has been admitted to Holloway's retreat, Pamela calls Holloway and makes an appointment to see her that night. Holloway, in the meantime, sends Stella to Windward. When the Fitzgeralds and Dr. Scott arrive, Holloway, now completely mad, tells them that Stella is following her mother over the cliff in accordance with Mary Meredith's wishes. As the Fitzgeralds rush back to Windward, Stella arrives at the empty house and finds her grandfather dying in the studio. Beech warns her to get away from the house because it is dangerous and collapses when the vaporous form of Mary Meredith materializes by the studio door. Stella screams and runs from the house just as the Fitzgeralds pull up. As Stella reaches the cliff's edge, the earth gives way, but Rick reaches her in time. Back in the den, Dr. Scott reads through the medical records and finds an entry which confirms Carmel's pregnancy. Other entries reveal that Mary asked the physician to keep Carmel's pregnancy a secret, and that the physician, knowing that Mary feared and refused motherhood, presumed that she intended to adopt the child as hers. With all the information in place, Rick speculates that the Merediths took Carmel to Paris on the condition that she never return, and adopted Stella, but that Carmel was unable to stay away from her child. Stella recalls that when her father wrote in a journal that her mother always wore mimosa-scented perfume, she had assumed he was talking about Mary. When Rick opens the doors to the study, he senses a cold, malevolent presence, and insists that the others go outside. Rick then confronts the ghost of Mary Meredith and tells her that he is no longer frightened of her. Mary Meredith's angry ghost then permanently disappears, and the mimosa-scented ghost of Carmel, knowing that her daughter is now safe, also vanishes. With the spirits now banished from the house, Dr. Scott and Pamela plan to marry, and Rick tells Stella that he is relieved that Mary Meredith would not have been his mother-in-law.

Barbara Everest

Alan Napier

Gail Russell

Jessica newcombe, john kieran, david clyde, norman ainsley, evan thomas, ottola nesmith.

Ivan F. Simpson

Moyna macgill.

Queenie Leonard

Betty farrington, leyland hodgson.

Holmes Herbert

Helena grant, george kirby, charles brackett, c. c. coleman, b. g. desylva, hans dreier, farciot edouart, ernst fegté, hugo grenzbach, doane harrison, gordon jennings, richard kitchin, charles lang jr., frank partos, stephen seymour, dodie smith, wally westmore, victor young, photo collections.

Hosted Intro

Award Nominations

Best cinematography.

The Uninvited on Blu-ray

Important decisions have to be made quickly. - Pamela Fitzgerald

Dorothy Macardle's novel was published in the United States under the title Uninvited . The CBCS credited Elizabeth Russell as posing for the portrait of "Mary Meredith," and Lynda Gray as the body for the portrait. Hollywood Reporter news items reported the following about the production: Veronica Lake and Helen Walker were tested for lead roles in the film. Although Gail Russell, who withdrew from the cast of Henry Aldrich Haunts a House to appear in The Uninvited , was "introduced" in this film, she made her screen debut in Paramount's 1943 film Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour . Background scenes were shot on location along the coastline near San Francisco, CA, and in Phoenix, AZ. This film marks Lewis Allen's directorial debut. Author and stage actress Cornelia Otis Skinner, who appeared briefly as herself in the 1943 film Stage Door Canteen , made her dramatic debut in The Uninvited . Charles Lang was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography. On November 18, 1946, Ray Milland performed in a radio broadcast of The Uninvited , hosted by director Lewis Allen. In 1947, Frank Sinatra made a recording of the song "Stella by Starlight," with added lyrics by composer Ned Washington, which became a popular hit.

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Of the many horror films from Hollywood’s Golden Age, The Uninvited (1944) is one of the most beautifully shot. Shining in its eerie atmosphere and supported by a mesmerizing Victor Young score, there is much to enjoy in this screen gem.

The Uninvited was inspired by the novel Uneasy Freehold , written by Dorothy Macardle, focusing upon the story of a brother and sister who purchase a home in Cornwall but soon find that the secret behind the home’s low price is due to numerous paranormal occurrences.

The film was directed by Lewis Allen with a screenplay by Dodie Smith and Frank Partos. Though Alfred Hitchcock was initially sought by Paramount Pictures to direct this film, scheduling conflicts prevented his ability to work on the project. As a result, Allen was brought onto the project. Charles Lang, Jr.’s cinematography is a visual masterpiece, while Young’s standard–“Stella by Starlight”–created for the film was cemented as a notable jazz standard.

The cast members in this film are:

Cast adapted from the American Film Institute film database.

• Ray Milland as Roderick “Rick” Fitzgerald
• Ruth Hussey as Pamela Fitzgerald
• Donald Crisp as Commander Beech
• Cornelia Otis Skinner as Miss Holloway
• Dorothy Stickney as Miss Bird
• Barbara Everest as Lizzie Flynn
• Alan Napier as Dr. Scott
• Gail Russell as Stella Meredith
• Holmes Herbert as Charlie Jessup
• Betty Farrington as Voice of Mary Meredith
• Queenie Leonard as Mrs. Taylor
• Moyna MacGill as Mrs. Coatesworthy
• Rita Page as Annie, a maid
• Lynda Grey as Ghost of Mary Meredith
• Ivan F. Simpson as Will Hardy, tobacconist

The Uninvited was part of a burst of supernatural-themed films that were released during and after World War II, likely playing upon the concept of connection and loss during such difficult times. Allen held much sway in the film’s casting, though it is well-documented that he was disappointed in Gail Russell’s performance, despite being struck by her beauty. To complicate matters, Allen found Russell difficult to work with–in some instances crying because she did not want to wear a particular hat in a given scene. On the other hand, Allen found positive working relationships among himself, Ray Milland, and Donald Crisp.

Though the film suggests an entirely different geographic location, filming occurred near Fort Bragg, California, with additional portions of the film being shot on studio backlots. Filming took 42 days, ultimately being released in February 1944. The film was later adapted to two radio broadcasts in 1946 and 1949, both of which featured Milland.

The film opened to much praise as a worthy addition to the horror genre, out-grossing Universal’s House of Frankenstein (1944) and The Invisible Man’s Revenge (1944). Moreover, Russell’s performance also garnered positive reviews, as did Allen’s direction. Allen would again work with Russell in his next two films, Our Hearts Were Young and Gay (1944) and The Unseen (1945). Cinematographer Charles Lang was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White, ultimately losing to Joseph LaShelle for Laura (1944) .

The film’s song “Stella by Starlight” also achieved success as a popular song adaptation with lyrics by Victor Young. It would be recorded by the likes of Harry James, Frank Sinatra , Charlie Parker, Chet Baker, and more.

To this day, The Uninvited remains a well-written film that is sure to delight fans of the classic horror genre.

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Movie Review: The Uninvited (1944)

by StevenHelmer

A review of the 1944 horror/mystery film starring Ray Millard and Ruth Hussey.

Synopsis: A pair of siblings are able to purchase an old house in rural England for a bargain price and quickly learn the reason they were able to get such a good deal was because of the home's tragic history. Their only clue about what really happened are a pair of spirits that seem to be connected to the 20-year-old granddaughter of the man that sold them the property.

Who's In It?

The movie stars Ray Millard , Ruth Hussey , Alan Napier and Gail Russell .

My oldest daughter and I decided to watch this supernatural-themed movie a couple nights ago and, while we weren't able to finish it right away, managed to watch the final half of it this afternoon. When we started watching it, I wasn't really sure what to expect. However, it turned out to be a decent film.

Even though the movie is classified as a horror film, I honestly wouldn't put it in that category. Maybe it was scary when it first came out. However, at least by today's standards, the film is kind of weak in that category, especially since the special effects, while not terrible, were used sparingly.

What I did find, however, was this movie did make an excellent mystery. We knew there was a potential murder involving the former occupant being pushed off of a cliff and the subsequent haunting was related to that and the victim's daughter (Russell). However, while it was clear her mother was one of the ghosts inside the house, the identity/motive behind the other spirit didn't become clear until toward the end.

Adding to the mystery was the fact the young woman's grandfather ( Donald Crisp ) and the mother's former friend ( Cornella Otis Skinner ) seemed to know the truth behind the haunting but were quick to hush up about it for their own personal motives (the grandfather wanted to protect his granddaughter and I'm still not 100 percent sure about the friend's motive), making it much more difficult to figure anything out. This definitely kept things interesting and, even though I did correctly guess what was happening, i wasn't sure until it was confirmed toward the end of the film.

My only real complaint about the movie was it did seem to leave some questions unanswered, such as the reason why one of the spirits seemed to hang out in the studio and, once the truth about the young woman's mother was revealed, I couldn't help but wonder if it meant her father was guilty of having an affair or if she had a completely different father. Granted, it wasn't anything that was overly important to the plot, but it would have been nice to have a clearer picture about what really happened.

Final Opinion

As I said before, this movie wasn't overly scary. However, the mystery behind the ghosts did keep the film entertaining and my daughter and I definitely enjoyed it. I would recommend the movie as a result of that.

My Grade: A

More by This Writer

StevenHelmer, Thank you for practical information, pretty pictures and product lines. The library system here has two films entitled The Uninvited amongst its Blu-ray and DVD collections. So I look forward to seeing, sometime after the end of Lent, the one that you reviewed.

Would you all happen to have seen the 2009 release, which similarizes the 1944 release but acknowledges a film and a folk tale from Kore, Changhwa, Hongryon?

You might also like

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A review of the Sherlock Holmes movie starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce.

A review of the film noir classic starring Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews.

StevenHelmer

Movie Review: Gaslight (1944)

Movie Review: The Scarlet Claw (1944)

Movie Review: Laura (1944)

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THE UNINVITED 1944

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