Product: The Haunting [VHS] (1999)
Rating: 3.0
GREAT ATMOSPHERE & SET; LEFT MUCH TO BE DESIRED ELSEWHERE
" The Haunting " is not as bad as critics and other reviewers here lead one to believe. The film was panned by critics due largely to the fact that it was released at the same time as the god-awful hideously overblown piece of... known as " The Blair Witch Project ". While miscast and weak in the script, " The Haunting " does have worthy points.While " Blair Witch " showed what hype can do for a bad movie, " The Haunting " shows what a good set & and eerie atmosphere can do for a weak script. The Hill House set is stunning. The gothic architecture will blow you away. The place is beautiful and creepy the same. The CGI effects add to the creepiness of the film. Peolple who complain about computer-generated effects need to get over it. It's 2001, not 1963. The horrified faces of the wooden cherubs and the supernatural terror wreaked by Hugh Crane's spirit can send chills down your spine. Watch the film late at night for maximum shivers. If you sit back, relax, and let your imagination draw you into the story, you'll enjoy it. If you're looking to pick apart the storyline and performances, go watch some vanilla foreign film.The actors aren't so bad that it ruins the movie. Liam Neeson gives a mailed-it-in collecting a paycheck performance. Lily Taylor was ok, but isn't an interesting leading-character candidate. Owen Wilson is flat-out awful ( how'd this geek get into movies? ). Catherine Zeta-Jones, while not a great actress, looks stunning throughout. The script is wafer-thin, and you can usually predict the next line. But then again, what films aren't painfully predictable these days? But the plot is well-thoughtout and well-suited to the horror genre.My advice would be to buy the DTS DVD, turn the lights out, watch it as late as possible, and allow yourslef to savor the atmosphere. If you're looking for Oscar-caliber acting, you're in the wrong place. If you're looking for an eerie horror flick that relies on scenery and atmosphere as opposed to grisly slasher-flick multiple murders, " The Haunting " is worth a buy.