Expert: Jim Kason - 6/25/2009

Question
I remember watching this movie about a house that had been abandoned because a woman was said to have jumped off a cliff into the sea.  Her father owned the house but kept it abandoned until a brother and  sister from london rented it and moved in along with there housekeeper and a dog.  They met the grand-daughter of this man, and the daughter of the woman said to have jumped off the cliff.  There was typical haunting signs, mists, noises and the smell of perfume.  The young girl is eventually put in an institution by a woman would was involved with the mothers death.  I seem to remember that the death of the woman had to do with a man who was a painter and painted in a paticular room in the house.  Well it turns out that the mother was really pushed off the cliff and was trying to protect her daughter.  Please oh please help me with the name of this movie.

Answer
Hi Traci,

Yes,I know the film you're referring to !  It's one of my All-time favorite "ghost" thrillers from 1944 (from Paramount Studios)  called "THE UNINVITED", starring Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey as the brother and sister, and Gail Russell as the girl, with Donald Crisp as the father.
 
My folks took me to see it when I was about 8 or 9, and I used to have nightmares about it.
One interesting fact is that the film introduced the classic song, "Stella By Starlight".

For a great synopsis of the film, go to:
http://www.tcm.com:80/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=94482
and for more info, go to Google .com

Also, it's available on VHS at Amazon for about $15 :
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_d?url=search-alias%3Ddvd&field-keywords=%22The...

Sincerely,

Jim Kason