Not as good as the 1989 version.

Rating: 7/10 (11 March 2012)

This film concentrated on the shock and terror of a haunted house. The use of sound effects was very good and the visuals terrifying. Many people complained that the casting of Harry Potter was a mistake but as I have never watched a Harry Potter film I wasn't distracted and he performed very well. However, as I watched the film I recognised scene after scene that had been lifted from classic horror films, the empty rocking chair that keep rocking by itself, the clockwork toys that go off by themselves, the door handles that turn by themselves etc. Obviously the director has watched many older Hammer films and this film is almost homage to them rather than an original work. The ending was exactly the same as "Dr Terrors" with the exception that it was really weak and the final scene was obviously created to enable a 12a certificate and happy ending rather than the 18 it should have had. It is not as good a film as the 1989 version especially the ending. However, if you simply want to be terrified then it works on that level quite well.