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The Haunting (1963) Directed by Robert Wise

Posted by: Frank Veenstra Posted date: 1:09 PM / comment : 0 , , , , , , , , , ,





(Review originally written at 3 April 2009)

This movie is so very effective and just overall excellent due to its minimalism. Little is explained, little is ever shown and the story also isn't the most complex written one. Out of all the horror movies I've seen I can honestly say that this is one of the genuinely scary ones. It still is the best 'haunted house' movie ever made.

It's a movie that puts its emphasis more on its atmosphere than anything else really. The movie knows to create an uneasy atmosphere with its slow but steady build up. It really knows to pick its moments to put in a scary moment. But even then the movie shows very little. It's a movie filled with scary sounds, which adds to the mystery and tension of the movie.

It's really a movie that works out due to its talents behind the camera's. I was surprised by the movie its camera-handling and fast editing work at times. They did a really great job with this and it really helped the movie to work out with its moments. It's a technically really well made movie, that of course also is being helped by the fact that it was shot in black & white. It gives the movie a more eerie and unpleasant atmosphere. It also really helps to bring the house to life, from both the outside as well as the inside.

Horror wasn't really the most glamorous genre to work in during the '60's but just like Robert Wise did with "The Day the Earth Stood Still" he takes a genre to a totally different and far classier level, when compared to other genre movies from the same time period. This is what I always mostly admire about Robert Wise. He takes on a genre with his own touch and vision, with as a result an unique, as well as highly effective movie.

The movie has some really effective genre moments, that will shock and will leave you with an unpleasant feeling afterward, without ever having to feature any blood or gore or anything of that sort. One moment especially really caught me off guard and in my book is one of the most scary shock moments in movie history. It's more of a slow and subtle version, that might not be for everyone but for those who are able to sit through a more of a slow and old fashioned genre movie, the movie will be a real rewarding one.

9/10

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Columbo: Any Old Port in a Storm (1973) Directed by Leo Penn

Posted by: Frank Veenstra Posted date: 11:54 AM / comment : 0 , , , , , , , , , ,





(Review originally written at 12 May 2008)

Hard to say what it is that makes this movie a tad bit better than most of the Columbo movies. Most likely it's the presence of Donald Pleasence. He always has been a great and perhaps also a bit of an underrated actor, who is best known for the work he did in horror movies.

But it also is the story and directing that makes this a good movie. Normally when Columbo shows up late into the story, the movie itself mostly isn't one among the best. Columbo in this movie shows up about 20 minutes into the movie. He also doesn't show up in the usual matter and we see him for the first time in his office at the police station, before he even starts to investigate the murder. And he and the killer don't first meet until well over 40 minutes into the movie. So it's a sort of Columbo movie that progresses in a non-formulaic way. I really like the storytelling and flow of the movie. For a Columbo movie it's rather long but this really doesn't matter since it's such a fine Columbo movie entry. You can also really thank director Leo Penn fr this, who also later directed the 1989 Columbo movie "Columbo: Columbo Goes to the Guillotine". It's not necessarily a slow going Columbo movie but it certainly is an easy going one, that sort of is comparable to murder-mystery movies from the '40's in a way.

It's not necessarily a well written, clever Columbo episode or one that offers many surprises but it's really that storytelling that makes the movie such a successful one. It also helps the movie that it uses some fine settings. The movie is for most part set in the winery-business, which seems to work really well for a murder-mystery.

Peter Falk and Donald Pleasence are great in their roles and also especially when they are together on screen. Besides those two the movie features also some other fine actors such as Oscar-nominee Julie Harris. Amazing how many Oscar nominees and winners always were more than happy to appear in a Columbo movie.

A real good and special Columbo entry!

8/10

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