Classic Horrors Club

“The Haunting of Rosalind” (1973) has perhaps the strongest cast of any tale yet from The Classic Ghosts. The character of Dita is played by Academy Award winner, Susan Sarandon. The character of Mother is played by Academy Award winner, Beatrice Straight. And the character of Dr. Soames is played by the man who portrayed Dr. Lang on Dark Shadows, Addison Powell.

Written by Dark Shadows veteran Art Wallace and based on a story by Henry James, it was also directed by Lela Swift… from Dark Shadows. This is the first movie on the Kino Lorber collection of The Classic Ghosts. I watched it before I learned the order in which they originally aired. I didn’t care for it too much, but now that I’ve seen “The Screaming Skull” and “And the Bones Came Together,” this is the best one so far.

So far, we haven’t talked much about the set or costume designs, and this is where “The Haunting of Rosalind” excels. It’s a period piece, which lends to the gothic look and feel. Longer shots, such as Arthur Lloyd (Frank Converse) standing in the foyer, hint at the size of the estate, even though many of the shots are soap opera close-ups. These shots favor Sarandon and Straight, but Rosalind herself, Pamela Payton-Wright just looks out of sorts.

That’s her character, the sad sack. She’s not experienced love like Dita has. Even when she fools herself into thinking Arthur likes her, she learns that she misunderstood and, soon, Arthur and Dita are married. On her side, though, is the possibility that Arthur murdered his first wife and her ghost is out to get anyone who takes her place. That’s bad news for Dita, but what kind of news for Rosalind when she finally marries Arthur?

Best-looking story from The Classic Ghosts, yes, but also the soapiest… not that there’s anything wrong with that. I prefer full commitment to the suds rather than attempting to hide them. I can’t say “The Haunting of Rosalind” is particularly scary, but it is moody and atmospheric at times. It’s more similar to our first installment, “The Screaming Skull,” than it is to our second, “And the Bones Came Together.” It is what the series claims it to be, a classic ghost story.

Next week: The House & the Brain…