Blair Loveday
When you think of an older movie it can be too easy to oversimplify and ask if it still holds up. In the case of the 1977 horror The Haunting of Julia it may be easier to ask, is it worth seeing it?
The short answer is hell yeah.
The Haunting of Julia tells a story of a woman who is at the table with her husband and daughter when her daughter starts choking on a bit of apple. They try to dislodge it but she is unable to breath so her mum has a crack at a Tracheotomy and, well, fails. The moral of the story is don’t eat apples. They try everything but the Heimlich maneuver, and unfortunately she dies.
We then jump forward a bit and Julia is buying a new house. Separated from her hubby Julia is just trying to figure out how to move on. She starts seeing her daughter everywhere, and discovers that the house she is in may be haunted.
One of the biggest things with this movie that should be noted is it is a slow burn. After decades of jump scares and CGI horror has changed a lot. This movie is slower, it builds suspense, but is more interested in the mystery. This works in its favour because the movie, while dated, does hold up a bit better than if it tried too hard with the effects department.
The Bluray package is pure excellence. It comes with the soundtrack on CD, which given the creepy soundtrack is incredible it is a very worthy addition. On top of this it comes in a nice case that includes a book with some info about the movie which is also excellent. It makes this package a fantastic tribute to a movie I had never heard of.
The Bluray gives you an option to play The Haunting of Julia or Full Circle. The only change is the title card because it was named differently in certain territories, which is just a cool addition. On top of that there are some amazing special features including a video essay where they talk about the movie, it’s themes, and the time of its release. It is really insightful and well worth a watch.
On the whole, this is a worthwhile package. It is an interesting old horror movie that is far too good to be lost in time, but it’s not the most exciting movie I have watched.
It is well worth a watch, and the additional content makes this package worthy of space on your shelf.
