The Haunting of Rosalind is a rich tapestry of sibling rivalry, class opportunism and spectral intervention. Set in a grand estate, the story centers on sisters Rosalind (Pamela Payton-Wright) and Dita (Susan Sarandon), whose lives are upended after the passing of their domineering father and the return of their brother, Bernard (Dennis Jay Higgins). Accompanying Bernard is Arthur Lloyd (Frank Converse), a charming yet deeply ambiguous traveler whose motives regarding the sisters’ wealth immediately cast a shadow of suspicion over the household.
As Arthur captures the affections of the vibrant Dita, the older, more withdrawn Rosalind finds herself retreating further into a world of anxiety and isolation. The arrival of the men coincides with an unmistakable, chilling presence in the halls. It’s an oppressive atmosphere that Rosalind quickly connects to a dark secret from Arthur’s past involving his suspiciously deceased first wife. Directed with a steady, atmospheric hand by Lela Swift, the film gradually blurs the lines between a literal haunting and the externalized psychological manifestations of grief, jealousy, and profound emotional repression. While the climax leans into overt dramatic confrontation, the journey there is an exquisite exercise in slow-burn gothic suspense.
The film is an inspired, expanded adaptation of Henry James’s 1868 short story, The Romance of Certain Old Clothes. While James’s original text placed the tale in pre-Revolutionary New England and kept the supernatural elements strictly confined to a chilling, sudden finale, the television adaptation leans into gothic tropes much earlier to suit the anthology format. Yes, there is a candelabra and a diaphanous nightgown, an ode to the covers of gothic romance books and Italian gothic horror.
Swift was a legendary television auteur who directed nearly 600 episodes of Dark Shadows, giving her an unmatched instinct for weaving otherworldly atmosphere into intimate soundstage spaces. She was joined by writer Art Wallace, another Dark Shadows alumnus, cementing this project’s dark, romantic lineage. Originally broadcast on ABC-TV’s Wide World of Mystery, the program was part of an initiative led by pioneering producer Jacqueline Babbin, whose creative team prominently featured women at the helm of classic television gothic horror.
Long considered a lost artifact of 1970s late-night television, The Haunting of Rosalind was rescued and restored from its original 2-inch video masters by the UCLA Film and Television Archive. What was once the future shot on video is now the distant past, the streaking look and harsh lights giving this the feel of a soap opera from the past, which is what it is, but it’s so much stranger than that description. It’s magic.
You can watch this on YouTube or get the Classics Ghosts Blu-ray from Kino Lorber.
