Product: The Haunting [VHS] (1999)
Rating: 1.0
REALLY Bad
Back in the 1960's, Robert Wise made a movie based on a haunted house story written by Shirley Jackson. That original version of "The Haunting" is an excellent film, filled with atmosphere and subtle terrors. It is still considered one of the best haunted house movies ever made.Unfortunately, this late-1990's remake of "The Haunting", instead of improving on the original, is a disaster. In keeping with many film-makers worst impulses, the makers of this flick have re-written the story to the point that it bears little resemblance to the original. It always amazes me that many movie projects are started based on a literary work, only to be re-written to the point that little resemblance to the original work remains beyond the title. If there is any need to illustrate the wisdom of sticking to the story, the recent success of the first Harry Potter movie and the original "Jurassic Park" should be sufficient. Peter Jackson's "Lord Of The Rings" movies looks to be another case in point.This remake of "The Haunting", along with altering the story until it is almost unrecognizable, manages to lose the all of the sublety and atmosphere of the Wise's movie version, as well. Instead, the viewer is bludgeoned by overdone special effects. Character development has been forgotten, too. The only redeeming aspect is the beautiful sets and a decent performance by Lili Taylor in the role of Nell (although there's little of the original Nell left).The 1999 version of "The Haunting" is weak, and it suffers even more in comparison with the outstanding earlier version. If you want a good haunted house movie, get a copy of the Wise version. It's great. Avoid this turkey.