| The Haunting | 
 enlarge | Director: Jan De Bont
Actors: Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta-jones, Owen Wilson, Lili Taylor, Bruce Dern
Studio: Dreamworks Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $12.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  368 reviews
Sales Rank: 91550
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dts Surround Sound, Dvd-video, Widescreen, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 113
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
ISBN: 0783246692
UPC: 667068482126
EAN: 9780783246697
ASIN: 0783246692
Theatrical Release Date: July 23, 1999
Release Date: August 29, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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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
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| Customer Reviews: Read 363 more reviews...
 Get Out of the Way, Stupid! November 25, 2008
This movie has a promising start; I liked the re-working of the scene between Eleanore, her sister, and brother-in-law in the beginning because it was the only scene I hated in the original 1963 version. Actually for about the first hour, it was tolerable. But then the special effects kick in and the movie goes downhill. Furthermore, I can think of two scenes where "get out of the way, stupid!" would have applied quite well. I could have done without the effects. I found it particularly confusing that the ghosts of the children were made to resemble the caramelized wood carvings that decorate the mansion. Considering the amount of money spent, the computer effects look cheesy. There was a Disney quality about the ghostly children, sort of like the automations on the "It's a Small World" ride at Disney World. It was just plain silly. This movie was eternal. Hugh Crane's ghost reached a comical cartoon level as his face sails toward the viewer--we get a good view of his big bloodshot eyeball. So is this worth seeing? No. See the original 1963 version instead.
 The Haunting October 28, 2008
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 October 10, 2008
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.
Gorgeous production, awful movie September 25, 2008
Get this one just to look at the sets and the stunning effects. I would say watch it with the sound off, but some of the sound design is impressive as well. They obviously spent a lot of money making this movie as beautiful as possible ... too bad they couldn't make it GOOD.
Shirley Jackson's novel _The Haunting of Hill House_ is one of my all-time favorites. I re-read it when I heard this movie was coming out, and I was eager to see it. It started well enough. Even though the premise behind the characters being there was changed, and "that's not what Hill House is supposed to look like!" I was willing to forgive these slight details, especially since Mrs. Dudley speaks a whole paragraph straight out of the book in her scene. I thought "they're actually going to do it! They're actually going to do a faithful rendition of the book!"
Nope.
When Mrs. Dudley exited screen right, so did any resemblance to the original novel. Hugh Crain's past, and the reason for the haunting (left so maddeningly unexplained in the original) are painfully and meticulously spelled out in an ever-more-stupid story arc that would have made even Barney the Dinosaur snort in derision at its utter childishness. This movie is not smart, it's not scary .. it doesn't even manage to be funny. It comes across as more of an insult, a slap in the face to fans of the original book. The 1963 movie version captured the novel's atmosphere much better. This version doesn't so much trample Shirley Jackson's grave as dump syrup all over it. Utterly horrible.
But it has great production values. You needn't feel ashamed of watching it for that. It's a great LOOKING movie, and that's why I was generous enough to give it 2 stars. Definitely worth a rental if you have a few hours to kill and don't feel like thinking.
Microwaved horror August 4, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Hollywood reheats a classic, but this cheap serving is hardly very appetizing. This remake throws some heavy morsels of CGI down your throat and will give you indigestion.
Same basic story, some people volunteer to stay in an extravagant mansion. This time they aren't told about the house's dark past. They believe they are part of a study on insomnia. The truth is they are part of a controlled experiment on group fear.
Now I thought this was a nice alteration to the story. But unfortunately it starts to get extremely ridiculous. Nothing subtle here, there are plenty of cheap scares--like ghostly images or moving statues. As it turns out this house is basically a holding cell for dead children's souls. The evil landlord's spirit keeps watch over them in this purgatory. Great, a perverted pedaphile ghost.
This turns into more of a goofy adventure flick. No spooky atmosphere or mystery. No suspense. No reason to bother.
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