The Haunting12A

Directed by Robert Wise | UK/USA | 1963 | 1h 52m | Starring Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, Russ Tamblyn, Fay Compton

Wise’s adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ (1959) adheres closely to the novel. This is one of the few certainties in Hill House: the film follows the disintegration of Eleanor as she experiences her freedom and an eruption of sexual desire. Presented as part of the Fright’s Out! season, with an introduction by Dr Michael Goodrum

Reviews

‘Wise brilliantly uses black and white widescreen to strand his characters in odd-shaped rooms or corridors, making the watcher’s eye skitter frantically over the letterbox screen to catch every ingeniously rendered detail.’
★★★★★
Ian Freer, Empire Magazine

‘When The Haunting digs into the internals of its story, summons its spirits and lets them play havoc with cold reason, it has a power and fervor unmatched by any film ghost stories.’
James Powers, The Hollywood Reporter

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed The Haunting between October 11, 2025 and October 13, 2025.

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What else is on?

Today (Tuesday 28th July)

17:45

The Furious 18
£6 for Members
1h 53m | English + some Mandarin & Tagalog w/ English subtitles
When his daughter is kidnapped and police turn their backs, Wang Wei goes rogue, joined by Navin, a journalist whose wife has vanished too. Fuelled by rage, the two men wage explosive war on the kidnappers in this high-octane Hong Kong martial arts thriller.

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20:30

Rains Over Babel Uncertified 18+
£6 for Members / + Director Q&A
1h 51m
Enter a trópico-punk universe where life, death, desire, and fantasy come together in Babel, a mysterious bar-purgatory inhabited by lost souls, fantastic creatures, and unforgettable characters. Screening plus Director Q&A hosted by ZonaSur Cinema Club.

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Tomorrow (Wednesday 29th July)

15:00

A Private Life 15
1h 43m | French w/ English subtitles
A patient's sudden death sends a renowned psychiatrist chasing murder, secrets and lies, with her charming ex-husband along for the investigation. Jodie Foster dazzles in fluent French and comic form in this stylish mystery thriller from director Rebecca Zlotowski (Other People's Children).

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17:30

The Invite 15
1h 47m
Joe and Angela's shaky marriage faces its biggest test yet when dinner with their enigmatic upstairs neighbours takes a wild turn. Rashida Jones's razor-sharp script and Olivia Wilde's direction fuel this riotous relationship comedy, with Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton on scene-stealing form.

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20:00

Paris, Texas 12A
2h 30m
Travis Henderson emerges from the desert after four years missing, with no memory of who he is, and must slowly reconnect with his family. Written by Sam Shepard, Wim Wenders's profoundly moving character study won the Palme d'Or at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival.

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Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road.We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We only show a few adverts – less than most cinemas – and we only play a couple of trailers, so please don’t be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!