HoopTober 8: Mosquito Takes Mandragon

Movie 35
Six decades: 1st of 2 films from the 40's

There's an incredibly old fashioned air to The Uninvited - it feels like it might have been old fashioned even in 1944. It's all rather mannered and restrained, even though the tone is very light-hearted through most of the less creepy runtime.

I was almost immediately cast under its spell, though. I'm not sure why that is. I think maybe it's just been a long time since I have watched a movie like this, so it felt like a sight for sore eyes. Maybe it's the Cornish setting, because we just went there for a holiday a couple of months ago and that triggered some kind of involuntary endorphin release.

I have realised now that I can basically watch Ray Milland do anything. Which is so odd, because he's not a guy who seems to scream charisma, but there's just something about the guy. He's so damn watchable. There's a great supporting cast here too. Alan Napier as the dapper country doctor who sort of teams up with our protagonists (there's something slightly Famous Five about the whole thing). And Gail Russell is pretty radiant as the damsel in distress - even if her English accent is the one thing that shows this is a Paramount film pretending to be Ealing. I didn't even recognise Donald Crisp from his role as Battling Burrows in Broken Blossoms because he's just the total opposite here - always a sign of a great actor.

But despite the very old fashioned ghost story feel to it, I think this is also pretty effectively creepy at times, and the ghost effects are legit fantastic for their era. The whole things seems to glide by in an effortless swirl of breezy entertainment, but with sudden jolts of spookiness thrown at you from time to time, and I loved it to bits. Wonderful film, but you might have to get yourself in the right mood for its particular flavour.