Editor Reviews:

Amazon.com:
One of the spookiest ghost stories ever put to film, The Uninvited is also one of the few classic haunted-house movies to treat the subject with respect and seriousness. Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey play a brother and sister who leave the city to live in a beautiful old house dramatically perched on a cliff overlooking the Cornish coast. As they discover some of the house's peculiarities--the unexplained chill that settles in certain rooms, the aroma of mimosas that wafts through the house, flowers that wilt when brought inside--they are told by local girl Gail Russell that the house is haunted, by the spirit of Russell's mother no less. The rationalist city folk first scoff at the idea but as Milland slowly falls in love with the frightened girl he investigates the legends and discovers some startling hidden truths. Donald Crisp costars as Russell's humorless, hard-bitten grandfather who forbids her visits to the house. Handsomely shot against the beautiful Cornish countryside, director Lewis Allen wisely suggests more than he shows and the uneasy tone and quietly restrained direction looks forward to such films as The Haunting and The Legend of Hell House. Though Allen ultimately reveals a suitably spine-tingling apparition, some of the film's best moments are chilling in their simplicity: nocturnal moans, slamming doors, and the dog's whimpering fear of the upstairs. --Sean Axmaker

Rating : - Top 5 Ghost Stories ever made
Produced in 1943 and released in 1944, staring Ray Milland, this "Horror Film" is subtle, emulating the British approach to 'ghost tales' and that is (their) existence and message is real, it is about understanding what they need to tell - an injustice, lie or betrayal.

I first viewed this film at the age of 9, home from school on a Wednesday afternoon because the District had closed the schools as an overnight snow blizzard made travelling impossible. (my sisters and I loved these days) Every afternoon channel 5 would broadcast a film from the 30's or 40's, thus my sisters, Mom and I watched "The Uninvited" on one such day and, let me tell you, I was shaking so hard from fright, the entire couch shook, making my sister get a blanket - the shaking was not from the cold but pure fear.

The story concerns two female spirits, one good the other bad. Ruth Hussey plays Milland's sister, who buy a beautiful cottage where strange events unfold. A classic for its genre, we have strange knocks, doors opening and closing of their own accord and that utter coldness when entering a particular room.

What is extraordinary about this film is the sub plot connecting with the main story.

Murder is at the bottom of the plot, however, the 'bad' spirit becomes jealous, when Milland's character starts to fall in love with the girl next door - now the film moves into fright mode as the bad spirit lets her feelings known.

Why is the good spirit so sad and unwilling to do anything to stop the tirades of her fellow vengeful spirit?

As the tale continues, the 'good' spirit attempts to reveal the awful secret about the house and what happend in the past.

A few of the 'special effects' might seem lame to a few, but still, exceptionally done for the time period, particularly the pages of a book turning, giving a clue as to the on-going sadness and evil in the cottage.

Directed by Lewis Allen, (Valintino, Suddenly) managed to produce one of the top five great "horror films" of all time.

A Classic in the truest sense.

(It is shameful that this classic has not been upgraded to DVD, giving the masses one of the best ghost films in the last two centuries.)