Product: The Haunting [VHS] (1999)
Rating: 3.0
Beautiful Hauted House Story
Everyone I know knocked this film, and that surprises me. I guess it's not appropriate for an adult to admit being frightened or even entertained by a haunted house flick, but in my opinion this is the most beautiful and stylized piece of filmmaking since Dario Argento's "Suspiria".The characters are fun and the performances solid. Catherine Zeta-Jones is stunning, Lili Taylor is sweet as honey and Owen Wilson is fabulous as always. But it's obvious that there is one character in this show that is more important than the others. A character that literally, both physically and mentally, overshadows the rest of the cast. That character is Hill House - the most elaborate scary place ever filmed, a gigantic haunted house with one hell of a personality.There is a dreamlike atmosphere in this film unlike all others, and I must say that I like it. Similarities to "Poltergeist" abound, and there are some clumsy script passages here and there, but on the whole it delivers the promised goodies. "The Haunting" keeps well within the boundaries of its PG-13 Rating. Absolutely no nudity, swearing or graphic violence is seen or heard anywhere, but it doesn't diminish the film in any way. This is striking stuff even without it, and the film strictly follows the rules of the genre, with thunder and lightning, squeaking doors, paintings that come alive and spooky caretakers.The picture quality is high with only some grain and digital artifacts. Most impressing on the technical side is the sound, with awesome bass and bottom to it, destined to wreck more than a few loudspeakers in the DVD-community. The Bonus Material section of this disc contains a Behind-the-Scenes Feature, two theatrical trailers, Production Notes and Biographies.I recommend this DVD for all you esthetics out there. Those of you who are looking for a strong and believable story, on the other hand, may want to pass here.I'm sure glad I didn't...