The Haunting | REVIEW

I remember watching The Haunting way back in 1999 and decided to give it another look a couple of weeks ago. It's perfectly clear now that horror and spookiness fade with time. Have you watched the 70's version of The Omen in recent times? Not scary, I tell you. To be honest, The Haunting still gives me the chills, especially when watched at night in the dark. It's probably the best way to watch a horror movie. It's nowhere near anything Stephen King-related, but it serves well as a spooky horror film. It's also a remake of the 1963 horror film of the same name, based on the novel by Shirley Jackson entitled The Haunting Of Hill House. Here's the synopsis for The Haunting, NO spoilers, as always.

When her invalid mother dies, Eleanor "Nell" Vance (Lili Taylor) joins an insomnia study run by Dr. David Marrow (Liam Neeson) at Hill House - a secluded manor in Massachusetts. Upon arrival, Eleanor meets two other participants, Theo (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Luke (Owen Wilson). Unknown to the participants, Dr. Marrow's true purpose is to study the psychological response to fear. Each night, the caretakers chain the gate outside Hill House, preventing anyone from getting in or out until morning, when the caretakers open the lock. There are no working telephones inside Hill House and cell phone service is unavailable there. The house was chosen because of its isolation from the outside world. Needless to say, there's more to Hill House than one might perceive. It has a somewhat unholy history, which the 'guests' will soon find out first hand.

I'd put The Haunting in the same category as Wind Chill (which I have also reviewed), meaning that it isn't a scary movie but instead a spooky movie. Here's a quick lesson on the difference between spooky and scary. Spooky is something chilling, dependant on the atmosphere and settings of the film, whereas scary relates to the more frightening aspects like blood and gore and peeling flesh and whatnot. The Haunting is a bona fied spooky movie, which for me is a good thing. See, it's way harder to make a spooky movie than it is to make a scary or frightening one. Throw in some hideous faces, hollow eye sockets, fangs, blood, lots of bloody corpses, and you've got yourself a certified horror-fest that will shock the living cahoots outta' anyone... which, in my opinion, is easier to do than making an ordinary atmosphere seem eerie, chilling, or at some instances, frightening as well. It takes effort, good acting, the right settings, proper cinematography, and a solid soundtrack to pull off a well-done spooky movie. And The Haunting has done that. It has a great cast and like I've said in a couple of reviews before, the isolation factor really works well. It's always scarier when you're stuck in a hole, unable to escape, while being hunted and haunted by things that go 'bump' in the night. Now that's scary. Or spooky. Or both.

Catherine Zeta Jones is always a pleasure to watch...and I mean that in a good way. No, really. Really. Liam Neeson plays the 'doctor with a secret' well, and Owen Wilson is just a nice addition to the entire project. When it comes down to the cast, The Haunting doesn't seem to have a problem.

Keep in mind that this is a flick from 1999 so CGI isn't really the stuff you see in today's summer-fever-films. That being said, the visual effects in The Haunting are not all that obvious. Sure, some downsides here and there, but for a movie that released almost a decade ago, whatya' expect? Good graphics for its time, though. Nothing bad at all.

For those of you who have yet to watch The Haunting, I say go for it. It has quality that is sometimes missing in the entire shipload of recent horror films. So many horror movies over the course of the last 5 years have been so bad that they hardly scare you anymore. The cheap thrills and 'boo'-effects, sure, but most movies only last as long as it's on screen...it fades from memory the moment you're out the cinema door. There are exceptions of course. Anyway, The Haunting may not be the scariest piece of work in recent memory, but it's surely NOT a waste of time. It has the potential to leave an impression for a while, at least. The perfect way to watch it would be at night, lights off, girlfriend or boyfriend or both (whichever makes you happy), and some popcorn...or any other snack, whichever is easier to get.
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Wrap : The Haunting gets my 3.9 out of 5.0. I enjoyed it a decade ago, and I guess I still do today.

P.S : Nine days away from The Dark Knight. Now that puts a smile on my face.....