cut an unworldly feel. In another scene, the staircase appears to become unstable and give way as Luke Sanderson ascends it. Later, Eleanor goes up the staircase in a trance-like state and is rescued by Dr. Markway, even as the staircase seems ready to collapse. The collapsing staircase effect was designed by a metalworker at the Borehamwood studios. The effect was created by tying portions of the steps and railing to a cable that ran inside the staircase's central support column. When the cable was slackened, elements of the stairway loosened up and moved freely. Conversely, when the cable was tightened, the staircase appeared solid and stable. The effect disturbed the cast so much that Robert Wise had to ascend the staircase while it was shaking in order to prove that it was safe. Other effects also relied on simple cinema tricks. Early in the film, the audience sees Abigail Crain lying in bed, ageing from a young child to an old woman. A camera was fixed over the bed, and four different actresses (each a different age) posed in the bed beneath the camera. Dissolves were then used to illustrate the ageing process. In another scene, the characters come across a "cold spot" in the haunted mansion. Wise had initially wanted the actors to simply play up "the 'quality of [being] cold' in [the] sequence", but he quickly recognized that an additional visual effect was needed to more clearly emphasize the temperature drop. To overcome the unique issue of having to "photograph 'nothing, Wise instructed the makeup department to apply a special makeup onto the actors. This makeup contained a compound that was usually invisible to the naked eye but that appeared under certain filters. When it came time to film, the actors walked onto the portion of the set that was supposed to represent the cold spot, and these filters were gradually drawn over the set's lights. This gave the visual impression that the characters had turned pale due to a drop in temperature. The camera work and editing are used with the intent of further heightening the frightening qualities of the film. Eleanor is often viewed from above, and in one scene the camera closes in so tightly on her that she is forced backward over a railing. Eleanor's viewpoint is often juxtaposed with eerie views of the house, as if both viewpoints were the same. Many