Classic Ghost Story Films

[ravenus]

The thread for those old-school B&W ghost / supernatural story films. Some, like The Haunting or Night of The Demon are of course well known. This thread can also help to unearth the more obscure ones.

Mahal aka Mansion, a 1949 Indian movie in Hindi language with the premise of a beckoning lady ghost (or is she?) in the titular mansion. This is the closest I've seen to an Edgar Allan Poe story in Hindi cinema - A brooding Gothic romance of the protagonist's love for the 'ghost', a love that is costing him reason and life. The climax is even more twisted than the premise suggests. The sets are tacky but Josef Hirsching's B/W photography is often wonderful. Recommended for ghost story fans willing to sit through its ponderous pace (At 140min this should have been at least 40min shorter) and melodramatic diversions. Unfortunately this is so far only available in India in the inferior VCD format and no subtitles. IMO this one needs to be recognized as one of the classics of the genre.

IMDB Link

 

[clovis-man]

The thread for those old-school B&W ghost / supernatural story films. Some, like The Haunting or Night of The Demon are of course well known. This thread can also help to unearth the more obscure ones.

Not sure about "obscure". When they first came out, The Haunting and Night of the Demon were fairly high profile. I'm old enough to know. And I consider them both to be classics. But I think you have to consider such films as The Shining and Poltergeist as well, even though they are anything but obscure.

 

[j d worthington]

There's also The Uninvited; a bit of a let-down at the end, but the film as a whole is quite effective and very nicely done.

 

[ravenus]

@clovis-man:
You might want to look back at your post. I do say that those specific films are well-known. I'm saying that apart from the well-known films, more obscure films can also be unearthed and discussed. And this thread is meant mainly for B&W era films so Shining and Poltergeist hardly qualify.

 

[Foxbat]

Dead Of Night has always been a particular favourite of mine but. I don't know if it actually qualifies for this thread because it is a collection of shorter stories but it's certainly worth tracking down on DVD

 

[clovis-man]

@clovis-man:
You might want to look back at your post. I do say that those specific films are well-known. I'm saying that apart from the well-known films, more obscure films can also be unearthed and discussed. And this thread is meant mainly for B&W era films so Shining and Poltergeist hardly qualify.

My mistake. So the film I just thought of may not qualify because it's in color. But it is almost 50 years old: the excellent Japanese collection of ghost tales, Kwaidan.

Kaidan (1964)

My apologies if I'm still off the mark.

 

[Foxbat]

Sounded interesting so checked it out - called Kwaidan in the UK and available on DVD for £9. I had no choice but to order a copy

 

[ravenus]

Kwaidan is pretty good, I have the Criterion edition disc. My fav episode in that is Hoichi the Earless. Masterfully directed and creepy. But I find the first 2 episodes dragged out way beyond what the tale allows for...slow and boring despite all the eye-candy.