The Haunting: The Implicit Cut

“Ignorance is fear.”

Original Movie Title: The Haunting

Genre: Horror/Drama

Fanedit type: Special Project

Original Release Date: 1963

Original Running Time: 112

Fanedit Release Date: November 2021

Fanedit Running Time: 107

Time Cut: 5

Available in HD? Yes

Subtitles? Yes

Join the Forum Discussion

IFDB/More info

UPDATE (April 2024):

While the original file remains for those that enjoy it, I have now given the “no monologue” version its own dedicated file, with further trims and cuts to keep the pace feeling natural in spite of the absence of the monologue (thanks to Seacom). I have also removed my title card, based on Ray Danger’s feedback. This new version is labelled “Second Implicit Cut” in the folder.

In short, if you want to watch The Haunting with no monologue whatsoever – please watch “Second Implicit Cut”. It’s my preferred version. And if you still want to experience the trimmed monologue version, it’s still there (just watch the original implicit cut and remember to switch to the secondary audio option).

Brief Synopsis

The Haunting (1963), more or less as you remember it, but with all internal monologue removed. The opening and closing narration is retained. Also featured is an alternate audio option with the internal monologue significantly trimmed.

Intention

Having seen The Haunting twice now, I don’t think the internal monologue is redundant, just that it is overused. Nevertheless, I was interested to see how the film functioned with it entirely removed, and I wanted to see a half-way house. “The Implicit Cut” gives both as audio options attached to a single video. This is less a fan-fix and more of a narrative experiment. I wanted to present two alternatives to the viewer, as well as give an insight as to how the film might function when its chief narrative tool is stripped away. When the explicit is removed, how much remains implicit?

Alongside the changes to internal monologue, there are a handful of small trims to some shots (more often than not as a result of removing the inner monologue) and 3 or 4 lines of dialogue have been tweaked ever so slightly. Otherwise, the film is largely untouched and the opening and closing narration is intact.

I’ve proofed several versions of this now, and I’ve personally found both audio options to convey different atmospheres. With the internal monologue completely removed, a lot is left to the viewer to interpret in terms of Eleanor’s mental state and how she is interpreting events. Whereas the 2nd audio option trims mostly superfluous monologue, leaving in some of the more explicit thoughts she has.

Main Sources

Visual:

Official blu-ray release

Audio:

Film static and wind sfx
Short, instrumental suite of The Haunting soundtrack

The majority of audio was stripped from the original film and frankensteined together to create usable sfx or bits of score.

Special Thanks

Thank you to everyone who showed interest in the forum thread and gave any sort of feedback/encouragement. Particular thanks to my friend “Joebby”, who had a lot of thoughts on the inner monologue and was more or less a consultant for the secondary audio option. Thanks also to Jonny S for his suggestions on the poster.

Thanks to everyone for their reviews, and to seacom and Ray Danger for the feedback, which has now resulted in a new version.

Special Features

Alternate audio option with trimmed inner monologue. Subtitles available for both versions.

Editing Details

Editing this involved a few things I wasn’t expecting it to, in order to make the absence of the inner monologue work. Some techniques/tools used include, but weren’t limited to:

Rescoring (sometimes piecing scraps of audio together from the film audio to create something similar or usable to replace inner monologue)
Audio replacement (sfx, film hiss etc.)
creation of new frames (to cover visual gaps)
Masking (to tweak timing of action and dialogue in shots)

Cut-list

The Gist:

Light visual trims to opening narration
Removed all inner monologue
Some visual trims to accommodate the above
Minor tweaks to a few lines of dialogue

Full Cutlist:

Normally I go through my timeline post-edit and note down time codes for all my cuts that I spot, but since my computer broke I lost the files and I don’t have an easy reference point beyond memory. I had already noted down most cuts, but for around the last half hour of the film it’s much less accurate. So this is only a near-complete cutlist, and only for the main audio:

0:38 – added “Fanedit.org presents”
0:44 – added “a Scribbling Man edit”
0:50 – added animated “The Implicit Cut” title card
2:31 – trimmed shot of carriage
2:37 – trimmed shot of horses
3:32 – trimmed transition and opening of 2nd wife intro
3:50 – trimmed reaction time and retimed narration so that the line: “the 2nd Mrs Crain’s death was even more interesting than her predecessors” is immediately followed by her fall.
3:59-4:04 – minor trims to fall
4:18 – retimed narration to coincide with start of scene visually. Light visual trims for this scene.
12:29 – internal monologue removed. Score removed. Some foley.
12:41 – replaced SFX, altered fade to go straight to Route 238
12:54-13:10 – removed monologue. Reworked score and sfx. Trimmed internal shot of car.
15:39 – tweaked score
15:46 – brought forward zoom into window
15:49 – trimmed shots of Eleanor, rescored, and removed monologue.
15:53 – wide exterior shot of castle instead of zoom in (which occurred earlier)
Increased grain on still image of window to help it sit better
16:29-16:37 – light visual trims, replaced score, removed monologue
18:02 – removed monologue. Added sound of Eleanor breathing.
19:12 – removed overemphasis of “in the night… in the dark…”
19:35-19:51 – removed monologue. Rescored.
21:19 – re-timed “in the night”, cut “in the dark”
22:28 – removed monologue. Replaced score
23:26 – removed monologue. Visual trims. Re-timed ghostly cry so that Eleanor looks like she’s reacting to it
23:46 – removed monologue. Rescored.
33:23 – trimmed shot. Removed monologue
37:35-38:11 – removed monologue. Partial rescore.
39:20 – removed monologue
40:37 – trimmed shot. Removed monologue
41:26 – trimmed shot. Removed monologue
54:09 – trimmed Eleanor’s reaction. removed monologue
57:55-58:12 – visual trims. Monologue removed. Partial rescore
1:08:28 – trimmed shot. Removed monologue
1:08:40 – removed monologue. Rescored
1:11:35 – trimmed shot
1:14:17 – trimmed shot. removed monologue
1:18:38 – trimmed shot. Removed monologue
1:22:05 – masked Eleanor to aid trims to faded shot and keep background continuity. Removed monologue
1:25:17 – removed monologue. Trimmed shot
1:26:47 – cut “I’ll sell you the house for cheap”. The scene works better without a quip.
1:27:24 – removed monologue. Trimmed shot
1:27:47 – removed monologue. rescored
1:29:07 – cut shot. removed monologue
1:30:26-1:30:41 – replaced score, removed monologue, tweaked background dialogue and visual timing to aid removal. Masked Eleanor to keep background dialogue in sync visually.
1:30:41 – retimed shot of statue
1:31:48 – removed monologue. Replaced score.
1:32:21 – trimmed shots. removed monologue
1:32:52 – removed monologue. Replaced score.

From this point on the cutlist is from memory:

1:34:43 – 1:35:25 – a few bits here. Monologue removed, score replaced, some audio I found jarring on the original film has been altered.
1:42:25 – monologue removed, visual trimmed, some sfx replacement. Eleanor was masked separate from the background so that I might have more control over her mannerisms during when the car starts moving.
1:42:39 – from this point till the end of the car crash there is a ton of audio work. I found this to be the hardest bit of audio editing because it was so hard to find usable portions of the score and also keep the car noise sounding accurate. Plenty of monologue removed.
1:44:12 – made a slight trim to Grace’s dialogue here. There was a line that I found to be a bit too on-the-nose, especially for a former skeptic.
1:46:39 – added “The Implicit Cut” end title card

‘Second Implicit Cut’ cut-list:

The following changes were made for the ‘Second Implicit Cut’ April 2024 update:

– 0:48 – removed “implicit cut” sub-title card, based on Ray Danger’s feedback
– 12:06 – Eleanor doesn’t stop to read the letter. We fade straight into the travel montage
– 12:10 – further trims to travel montage
– 14:57 – cut some shots that linger on Eleanor’s face
– 15:28 – cut further lingering on Eleanor as she looks up at the house. External shot moved to here to cover gap. Slight tweak to when the score resolves
– 21:08 – fade into Eleanor and Theo exploring the house, instead of from the ceiling shot. It’s a nice shot, but I needed to trim the length of time it takes Eleanor to walk through the hall. Slight rescore and foley to aid transition into Theo slamming the door.
– 22:18 – small trim
– 36:17 – score cue comes in earlier. We fade earlier, instead of lingering on Eleanor as she lays on bed thinking.
– 1:06:39 – this sequence has been recut so that there is something visual to drive toward Eleanor’s “Stop it!” without her fearful internal monologue
– 1:29:48 – Eleanor stares up at the tower for less time
– 1:30:41 – cut Eleanor dancing towards the staircase (I really like this shot, but it’s long and I don’t think it works very well without her monologue). Trimmed shot of her looking up at the staircase.
– 1:30:45 – some general trims to a few of these shots to get the pace feeling right to me.
– 1:30:53 – Slight trim to Eleanor climbing stairs and new foley
– 1:32:14 – we linger for less time on Eleanor’s face
– 1:40:10 – 1:40:26 – general trims to tighten the car crash and avoid too much lingering on Eleanor