Product Details

• Format: NTSC, Black & White, Collector's Edition, Import
• Region: All Regions
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B004QZQEA0
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,501 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

A brother and sister move into an old seaside house they find abandoned for many years on the English coast. Their original enchantment with the house diminishes as they hear stories of the previous owners and meet their daughter (now a young woman) who now lives as a neighbor with her grandfather. Also heard are unexplained sounds during the night. It becomes obvious that the house is haunted. The reasons for the haunting and how they relate to the daughter whom the brother is falling in love with, prove to be a complex mystery. As they are compelled to solve it, the supernatural activity at the house increases to a frightening level.

DVD INFO: All-Region Disc will play Worldwide and is NTSC (North American compatible) format. This is the unedited Collector's Edition which features a very good quality print of the film, the original movie trailer, DVD menus, and a very nice DVD case with Artwork. DVD is an import but is in English entirely.

Starring:
Ray Milland (Roderick Fitzgerald)
Ruth Hussey (Pamela Fitzgerald)
Donald Crisp (Commander Beech)
Cornelia Otis Skinner (Miss Holloway)
Dorothy Stickney (Miss Bird)
Barbara Everest (Lizzie Flynn)
Alan Napier (Dr. Scott)
Gail Russell (Stella Meredith)

Directed by: Lewis Allen


Runtime: 99 minutes B&W

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 45 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting and powerful March 12, 2011

By MountainKath

I was quite surprised how good the quality was for a film this old (nearly 70 years old!!!). I was worried there might be chinese subtitles but all my fears would put to ease as I played
the DVD...I was pleasantly surprised to say the least. As HeathMcEwan said, This 1944 classic film is one of my very favorites. Long hailed as Hollywood's first attempt at a "serious" ghost story, it will no doubt please most all fans of the genre. Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey play Roderick and Pamela Fitzgerald who are siblings. They are nearing the end of their seaside holiday in Cornwall, England when they happen to come across a lovely old deserted Georgian house while chasing their terrier, Bobby. The Fitzgeralds meet the dour owner (played by Donald Crisp) and they purchase the small mansion for a surprisingly affordable amount of money. Naturally, the house is haunted. The acting - particularly that of Gail Russell as the luminous, moonstruck Stella Meredith - is effective and charming. The black-and-white cinematography by Charles Lang is exquisite as is Victor Young's hauntingly lovely theme, "Stella by Starlight". The film has a moody, frisson quality which few films of the "ghost genre" can match. In one of her very few film appearances, Cornelia Otis Skinner is memorably sinister as Miss Holloway who was a friend of Stella's mother, the deceased Mary Meredith. A thoroughly enjoyable film with some real jolts and a great atmosphere, ghost fans should be enthralled by this one.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Film, HORRIBLE DVD!!! October 4, 2011

By J. Huff

Amazon Verified Purchase

I have looked for years for this to be available on DVD and seeing it on Amazon I couldn't wait to buy it - WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT!! The film was a fair print, but not nearly as good as I've seen on TMC and the digital transfer was TERRIBLE!! This is a black and white film with a mono sound track running less than 100 min. with NO-EXTRAS. So it should fit easily on a standard single-layer DVD. The amount of compression applied made the film look fuzzy and pixelated and it stuttered and stopped and finally made a 'Fatal Error' that made my player quit in the first 3 mins. of play. MEDIA ASIA GROUP made the transfer and despite all of the 'Quality Control/Assurance' stickers it is one of the worst I have purchased and I have bought DVDs from the $1.00 bin.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Glad I was invited May 14, 2011

By Laura Ann Scaife

Amazon Verified Purchase

This is the best ghost story Hollywood has ever filmed. It has atmosphere to burn and the musical score is positively haunting. The acting is first rate and the direction is fine. The photography and sets make the film and it looks so much better in black and white; colour would have ruined it. I was also glad that very little "special effects" were used. There is an eeriness to this film that is not to be found in very many others. And it's not a scary or terrifying film. It's just that atmosphere, coupled to a great story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. For my money no one before or since has come close to this one. Don't miss it.