The Uninvited (1944)

[Akijama]

The Uninvited Blu-ray

New 2K digital film restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
New visual essay by filmmaker Michael Almereyda
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Farran Smith Nehme

A pair of siblings (Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey) from London purchase a surprisingly affordable, lonely cliff-top house in Cornwall, only to discover that it actually carries a ghostly price; soon they’re caught up in a bizarre romantic triangle from beyond the grave. Rich in atmosphere, The Uninvited, directed by Lewis Allen, was groundbreaking for the seriousness with which it treated the haunted-house genre, and it remains an elegant and eerie experience, featuring a classic score by Victor Young. A tragic family past, a mysteriously locked room, cold chills, bumps in the night—this gothic Hollywood classic has it all.

[brandon_260]

Incredibly disappointed by the supplements on this and I Married A Witch. Feels unfair to charge their premium price on them.

[dsman71]

I thought the movie was boring anyway / another MEH month in Criterion-land

[NoirFan]

Some of the humor doesn't work for me, but still a classic film. I do wish there were were more extras and a 4k restoration though.

[SilentDawn]

This is awesome! I was kinda hoping for The Innocents but this will do.

[RipleyLV426]

I must say, I love the cover art though! Gothic and beautiful.

[DenOfEarth]

Great! it should be better than those bootlegs people bought from conventions.

[BluPat]

This movie sounds awesome. Can't wait to get it!

[Midnight Max]

One of my favorite, black & white "ghost story" films (along with 1961's "The Innocents") and a genuine Classic. Definite purchase for myself.

[Mr. Thomsen]

+1

Great movie. A bit meager on the extras though. Something contextualizing, about its place in horror movie history, or an introduction by someone like Martin Scorsese (it's one of his favorite scary movies) would have been nice.

Still, day one upgrade for me, though I will probably keep the British DVD for the excellent booklet also.

[Member-222782]

This film has been on so many wishlists since the dawn of DVD I'm surprised at some of the lukewarm reaction. I've never seen the film so it'll be a blind buy for me but, yes, it's disappointingly light on extras. Maybe Criterion should consider offering movie-only packages and charge accordingly.

[zbinks]

Since the extras do seem pretty light, this seems to have a strong chance of being one of their $29.95 MSRP titles, ala Three Outlaw Samurai and Ministry of Fear, which is about as close to being a "budget release" as Criterion gets.

I'm pretty excited about this release personally.

[Doc Ostrow]

I am so happy that Criterion will release The Uninvited (1944) Blu-ray by October 22, 2013 and I Married a Witch (1942) Blu-ray by October 08, 2013. I almost intended to import the United Kingdom PAL region 2 DVD of The Uninvited (I have a region free DVD player). I love these films. I have both The Uninvited and I Married a Witch on Laserdisc but they were never released on DVD. Now they are on Blu-ray!

[telzall]

Extras, schmecktras, as long as it's Blu-ray!

[bdmartin134]

That is such an incredible cover. I havent heard about this film at all, so excited to check it out. I watched some crappy Amazon trailer, and didn't do much for me. I know it's from the 40's, but is it really outdated or does it seem to hold up well? BTW, I'm not really a contemporary horror/gore fan. I enjoy creepy films, but not blood n guts spewing everywhere.

[Cbeck]

Originally Posted by bdmartin134

That is such an incredible cover. I havent heard about this film at all, so excited to check it out. I watched some crappy Amazon trailer, and didn't do much for me. I know it's from the 40's, but is it really outdated or does it seem to hold up well? BTW, I'm not really a contemporary horror/gore fan. I enjoy creepy films, but not blood n guts spewing everywhere.

It is a good atmospheric ghost story. How well it holds up is a matter of taste. I don't think it is a great film, but if you like creepy films you should enjoy parts of it. The last line is a joke though, I don't like the ending very much.

Disappointed Criterion is not including the two radio versions which are quite good and on the British DVD.

[ShellOilJunior]

I'm in.

Let's hope the audio is great. Much of what makes this film spooky is the atmosphere and the sounds...

[widegambler2012]

Originally Posted by RipleyLV426

I must say, I love the cover art though! Gothic and beautiful.

Couldn't Agree More

Anything with Ray Milland is great! I haven't seen this one yet but definitely worth purchasing looks like a possible undiscovered treasure to me

Now if the would only release The Lost Weekend

[Mr. Thomsen]

Originally Posted by telzall

Extras, schmecktras, as long as it's Blu-ray!

Of course you are right. The main feature in HD is really what counts. And as I already wrote, this is a day one purchase for me no matter what.

That said, Criterion did invent the very concept of special features, with their first laserdiscs back in the mid-80s, and their brand was built upon contextualizing classic movies, so I don't think it's entirely inappropriate to expect a little extra from them.

I would have loved for them to include the sequel The Unseen (1945), which to the best of my knowledge has not been released anywhere. They have included second features as extras on several other releases, so the idea is not that far fetched.

But, alas, it is not to be. Still going to get it, of course.

[ShellOilJunior]

Criterion has heard your complaints. Price drops for this and I Married a Witch.