Why do I enjoy this film so much? In the simplest terms, The Uninvited (1944) features a big house by the sea I really want to live in. Put that together with a great puzzle to solve, and I think this is a corker of a film. A couple of ghosts, some suppressed lesbianism and a fainting heroine inject juicy undercurrents that marked this as an interesting and scary turn in the haunted house genre. I had a wonderful time discovering this gothic gem with a light touch, and I have yet to tire of watching it. I hope it becomes a new addition to your annual Halloween rotation.

What you’ll find in this episode: fun facts about Gail Russell and Cornelia Otis Skinner, parallels to Rebecca, why horror is a conservative genre, a lively game of “what is the Cornish person saying?” (complete with buzzer) and some deadly mothers.

– Ericca

Links and Recommendations:

Check out The Uninvited on IMDB.

Cole’s further viewing pick of The Curse of the Crying Woman.

Ericca’s further viewing pick of The Babadook.

The Screen Director’s Playhouse radio play of The Uninvited.