Product: The Haunting [VHS] (1999)
Rating: 1.0
AWFUL, AWFUL, AWFUL
To say that this version of "The Haunting" lacks all of the understatment, subtlty, and nuance of the book is obvious. To say that it lacks logic, coherence, character, and good directing is even more obvious. Unfortunately, the film is not aimed at the intellectual crowd who are fans of Jackson's book, or the classic horror fans of the original movie. Instead, the filmmakers (one of whom is, in this case, the gloriously misguided Steven Spielberg) have aimed the story at the video game/music video crowd, sacrificing every nuance and plot element to the whirlwind of uninteresting and unmotivated special effects. In a house where anything can happen, nothing is frightening when it finally does.