Horror Extreme Movie Catalog
The Haunting
Theatrical Release Date: 07/23/1999
MPAA Rating: 
Studio: Dreamworks Video
Editorial Review - Amazon.com
Suffering from the extreme bad luck of being released at the same time as the low-budget The Blair Witch Project, this adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House attempts to update Shirley Jackson's psychologically terrifying ghost story to the era of big-budget, computerized special effects. Does it work? Well, let's just say that showing isn't exactly the same as telling. A prime example of bloated studio filmmaking, The Haunting telegraphs all its frights so blatantly that it forsakes any of Jackson's subtle horrors for the remedial scares of a clunky carnival ride. The story remains basically the same, with four people called to an old mansion for experiments in the supernatural, but instead of getting inside the heads of its main characters (as the 1963 adaptation by Robert Wise did so well), Jan DeBont's film deserts character development for the huge, glorious set design provided by Eugenio Zanetti (Restoration). Thus, instead of a well-drawn story you get... a well-drawn house, one that four very talented and underutilized actors--Lili Taylor, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Liam Neeson, and Owen Wilson--wander around in endlessly (as Zeta-Jones puts it, the house is "sort of Charles Foster Kane meets the Munsters"). Taylor, as the hypersensitive Nell, is the unknowing lynchpin in the battle between good and bad ghosts and gets saddled with most of the expository dialogue of the mansion's gothic backstory. Zeta-Jones (showing some spark) and Neeson (showing none) are sadly reduced to providing reactionary shots of the film's disastrous climax, which mixes hapless new-age affirmations with computer-generated effects of ghosts and exploding windows, walls, doors, etc. For this haunted-house story, take a quick tour of the breathtaking rooms, but definitely don't stay the night. --Mark Englehart
The Haunting
A Customer Review by Elizabeth LaTrace
Catherine Zeta Jones and Owen Wilson star in this creepy thriller! This is one scary story of a haunted house that wont rest! Its not like House on Haunted Hill where the house locks you in, this one is just trying to scare you to death while you reside in it! Watch this movie!
Cheesy fun and a good Halloween party movie
A Customer Review by author and paranormal investigator
A glitzy 1999 remake of the classic 1963 film of the same name, with different plot twists and an alternate ending.
* Spectacular sets and a star-studded cast make this movie fun to watch.
* The weak story line bears little resemblance to the brilliant 1963 movie, also called The Haunting.
* Cheesy plot twists and some "good scares" contribute to the fun. It's not a thriller, or even a serious movie.
Do not expect this movie to show you what real ghosts are like. "Hill House" may be a magnificent Hollywood set, but it bears little resemblance to actual haunted houses.
If you're a fan of the terrifying book this movie is based on (The Haunting of Hill House (Penguin Classics), by Shirley Jackson) or the original movie, the new story line may be a huge disappointment, too.
To put it simply, this is a high-budget, slightly cheesy movie that you'll watch for laughs and a few "good scares".
I loved the sets and I was hopeful when I saw the cast list. However, I just didn't connect with the characters. On the other hand, the special effects were amusing and a few events startled me.
There were several moments that I thought, "No, they aren't really going to do that...," and then -- sure enough -- they did. The reverse psychology of it took me by surprise every time.
However, the moralizing conclusion of the movie was too cutesy and predictable. It also dragged on far too long, oblivious to several confusing lapses in logic.
This movie is probably worth seeing once, for fun, and a second time to savor the gorgeous sets.
Cook up some popcorn, turn down the lights, and expect a few shrieks... and shrieks of laughter as you and friends watch this somewhat silly movie.
Trivia: The spiral staircase from the original movie makes a cameo appearance in this film. It also gave Liam Neeson a genuine fright, since he is not fond of heights.
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The Haunting: Related Movies
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