THE UNINVITED is one of the most well-regarded ghost stories of the 1940s, although seen today it's a rather genteel effort and certainly not frightening, unlike towering movies of the genre such as THE HAUNTING. This one sees a jovial Ray Milland moving into a beachfront property, only to discover that it's already occupied. It's a sedate and subtle affair, with the supernatural horror limited to just a couple of mildly effective SFX scenes, but it does have plenty of atmosphere and an intriguing murder mystery back story to keep it going. Milland proves a warm and kindly presence this early on in his career (as opposed to his turns a decade later in the likes of DIAL M FOR MURDER) but the emphasis is very much on the female presence, both real and (is it?) imaginated. Silent film star Donald Crisp plays an imposing role in support, and there are some nice indoor visuals here which reminded me of those in THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE.

This film worked a lot better for me as a mystery than the purported scary ghost story it was set up to be by Turner Classic Movie host Ben Mankiewicz when I watched it this morning. The story holds one's attention level well enough, but I never got the impression that there was something really ominous about to happen. Roderick 'Rick' Fitzgerald (Ray Milland) sort of dropped that ball when he ducked under the covers like a grown up scaredy cat.Probably the scariest aspect of the film turned out to be old Miss Holloway (Cornelia Otis Skinner, even that name sounds scary) as the proprietor of the Mary Meredith retreat - 'Health Through Harmony' - that was a good one. It was more than a little fitting that the biddy went a little bit crackers of her own after sending Stella Meredith (Gail Russell) on her way back to the Windward homestead. And speaking of Stella, didn't it seem like she wasn't even the slightest bit astonished when she found out that her mother wasn't her mother, but that she was the daughter of the gypsy mistress? I think that would have freaked me out just a little bit if it happened to me.Say, you know, and I don't know why stuff like this intrigues me, but how do you think the film makers got the squirrel to act squirrelly enough to pull off the scene with Bobby the pooch. The rodent hit his marks perfectly across the floors and up the chimney, just like a real pro. I mean, you can't teach or direct a squirrel to do what you want them to do like a dog, so I'm just a bit puzzled by it all. As well as Rick sticking his hand under the dresser to find the animal, geez, what a dumb move that was.Well, I may sound a little flippant here with my review but I actually liked the picture well enough to recommend it for classic movie fans. Once again, the horror or scary aspects of the film are not what drives it, but the odd, almost sinister motivations of characters like Commander Beech (Donald Crisp) and the aforementioned Miss Holloway. The Commander was actually quite a creep when you get right down to it, at one point he even stated that his granddaughter Stella wasn't as beautiful as her mother. In retrospect, I wonder who he was talking about?

Sign me up for anything Ray Milland did. I enjoy his execution of every role I've seen him in. For my money, thew's not a lot separating him from some of the leading actors of his generation.The Uninvited is a first-rate production. As my review title suggests, it's stylish without being pretentious. The characters are credible and engaging. It has a Gothic feel due to the large, often dark house which ironically is set on a seaside cliff in the most beautiful setting. Elements of noir interject themselves as we try to unravel the mystery. One significant and one lesser romance find themselves budding juxtapose to the haunting, eerie mystery. In fact, much of the movie is a study in these contracts of darkness and light, of love and tragedy, and I found these contrasts compelling.This is somewhat of a prototype of the leading films of this era, films like Rebecca and other Hitchockian efforts that comprise a golden age of Hollywood. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it will be a film I will watch again.About my reviews: I do not offer a synopsis of the film -- you can get that anywhere and that does not constitute a meaningful review -- but rather my thoughts and feelings on the film that hopefully will be informative to you in deciding whether to invest 90-180 minutes of your life on it.My scale: 1-5 decreasing degrees of "terrible", with 5 being "mediocre" 6- OK. Generally held my interest OR had reasonable cast and/or cinematography, might watch it again 7 - Good. My default rating for a movie I liked enough to watch again, but didn't rise to the upper echelons 8- Very Good. Would watch again and recommend to others 9- Outstanding. Would watch over and over; top 10% of my ratings 10 - A Classic. (Less than 2% receive this rating)

As a brother and sister move into their dream house at the top of a West Country cliff, they find the grand-daughter of the local man who sold them the house has a fatal attraction linked to ghostly goings on at the place.Well produced melodrama that dulls its spookiness through whimsical music and touches of ooo-err humour by the lead actor. Made in 1944, so I guess true terror was out of the question, but the lack of tension does drag the pace back.The performances are all solid, but the lack of involvement of the brother and sister (apart from the obligatory romance) makes it more a detective story in the Scooby Doo mould, as our untouchable heroes sniff out the dark secret at the heart of the story. The reveal is unexpected if not surprising. And the final line wraps it up nice and warm.Photography and editing are good, although endless shots of surf soaked rockery (on the California coast) along with the swooping violin music really take us back to Rebecca.Overall - enjoyable if a bit long, and it really backs away from any complication that could have deepened the mystery.