The Uninvited (1944)

Posted on February 11, 2009 at 7:35 am

The new release called “The Uninvited,” based on a Korean horror film, reminded me of the unrelated (but very spooky) 1944 movie of the same name, starring one of my favorites, Ray Milland.
The original The Uninvited is the story of a brother and sister (Milland and “The Philadelphia Story’s” Ruth Hussey) who move into a mysterious house on the English coast. A series of eerie clues lead them to a story involving a woman who once lived in the house and her young daughter Stella (Gail Russell), now grown up, who still lives nearby.
This is not a horror film but a psychological drama with mystery, romance, and ghosts. When I first saw it as a teenager, I was especially intrigued because it had a rare screen appearance by stage actress Cornelia Otis Skinner, co-author of a book I loved, Our Hearts Were Young And Gay: An Unforgettable Comic Chronicle of Innocents Abroad in the 1920s. It also introduced a song that has become a standard, “Stella by Starlight.”
I watched it again recently and found it still one of my very favorite ghost stories, with appealing characters and very satisfying conclusions to both the romance and the mystery. Fans of “Rebecca” will love this one, so if you’re looking for a good, old-fashioned, non-gory ghost story, this is one of the best.

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5 Replies to “The Uninvited (1944)”

  1. I LOVE THIS MOVIE! I NOT ONLY LOVE THE CLASSICS (1940-1959), BUT HAVE BEEN COLLECTING THEM FOR YEARS. OVER TEN YEARS AGO I LOANED THIS MOVIE (VIDEO) TO A FRIEND…NEVER GOT IT BACK! I HAVE TRIED MANY TIMES TO BUY MYSELF ANOTHER ONE(DVD), BUT HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO. I NEVER FORGOT IT AND MISS HAVING IT IN MY EXTENSIVE COLLECTION.
    A GREAT MOVIE!

  2. Thanks so much, Theresa!! I am thrilled to hear from another fan of this wonderful film. There are used videos available on Amazon and I am hoping it gets released on DVD. An other Ray Milland movie I have been waiting for is “Alias Nick Beal.” Have you ever seen that one?

  3. I DIDN’T KNOW IT HADN’T BEEN RELEASED ON DVD, THAT’S PROBABLLY WHY I COULDN’T FIND IT, DUH… I DON’T CARE IF IT’S ON DVD, I WILL LOOK FOR IT. I’VE NEVER SEEN “ALIAS NICK BEAL.”
    WE’RE EXPECTING RAIN HERE IN LOS ANGELES, FROM TODAY THRU NEXT WEEK PRACTICALLY, A GREAT TIME FOR CLASSIC MOVIES! I’LL SEE IF I CAN PURCHASE ALIAS NICK BEAL! HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY.

  4. I love this film The Uninvited I have trouble finding it.I went threw TCM but nothing came up If anyone knows where to get it please let me know.

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