The Uninvited (1944 film)

The Uninvited
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Lewis Allen
Screenplay by	Dodie Smith Frank Partos[1]
Based on	Uneasy Freehold by Dorothy Macardle
Starring	Ray Milland Ruth Hussey Donald Crisp Cornelia Otis Skinner Gail Russell
Cinematography	Charles Lang Jr.
Edited by	Doane Harrison[1]
Music by	Victor Young[1]
Production company	Paramount Pictures, Inc.[1]
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures, Inc.
Release dates	10 February 1944 (1944-02-10) (Washington, D.C.)
Running time	98 minutes[1]
Country	United States[1]
Language	English[1]

The Uninvited is a 1944 American supernatural horror film that was directed by Lewis Allen and stars Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey, and Donald Crisp. The film is based on Dorothy Macardle's novel Uneasy Freehold (1941), which was published in the United States as The Uninvited (1942) and deals with a brother and sister who purchase a house in Cornwall, England, that is plagued by paranormal events. The film is part of a cycle of supernatural-themed films that began appearing in the mid-1940s. Dodie Smith began writing the film, and Frank Partos was brought in by his friend, associate producer Charles Brackett. Brackett wanted to have the film directed by Alfred Hitchcock but could not organize plans with him, so Allen directed it. Filming began on April 16, 1943; Allen found working with Gail Russell, who was inexperienced and began crying several times, to be the most difficult part of filming.

The Uninvited was released in Washington, D.C., on February 10, 1944, and was one of the highest-grossing films of the year. On its release, it received positive reviews from trade papers Variety, Harrison's Reports, and The Monthly Film Bulletin as well as from critics such as Bosley Crowther and James Agee. Critics were surprised the film's supernatural elements were presented as reality and that they found it genuinely frightening. The film was also praised in retrospective reviews from Carlos Clarens and Phil Edwards, while other critics including Pauline Kael and James Marriott gave it more mixed reviews. In the 1940s, director of photography Charles Lang Jr. was nominated for an Academy Award for his work on the film, which was later adapted into two radio plays. The film did not create a wave of supernatural-themed horror films but led to further work by director Allen with Russell and with Milland. The song "Stella by Starlight", which was created for the film, became a popular jazz standard that was performed by Frank Sinatra, Charlie Parker, and Miles Davis.