Crrreeeeepyyyyy. Actually, if you put an ax to my neck and forced me to name the best horror movie ever, it would be “The Haunting.” Yep, a rated-G black-and-white 1960 movie with no gore, no blood, nada. It’s almost as if the movie begins by telling you, “Sit down. Relax. This is going to be a boring haunted house movie. You’ll probably fall asleep anyway.” And so you lie back and watch as the civilized story slowly unfolds about a paranormal scientist, two psychics and a young skeptic who investigate the goings-on at a supposedly haunted mansion. And then you start noticing something strange, things around you start to feel a little…weird, uneasy, something in the air. And that something quickly gets darker and darker, until you start to feel that the creepiness leaking off the screen and slithering into your own house. This is Great Horror Moviemaking 101. Intelligence + artistry + loving attention + great production + a ton of atmosphere = Great horror. No blood or gore required.

Extras:

• Freak out the kiddies with this one (but not younger than 10).
• Best seen on a big screen, at night, with all the lights out. Dare ya.