Product: The Haunting [VHS] (1999)
Rating: 4.0
Haunting, But Not Scary . . . Still Fun Entertainment
This is a very old-fashioned haunted house tale given the overblown budget treatment that doesn't enhance the story as much as Hollywood would have us think. It's a fun movie, but it doesn't scare or jolt you like it should or could. While I was disappointed with that, I still enjoyed the film for the creepy house which is beautifully designed, and the cast of wonderful actors who are all capable of better work, except for Owen Wilson who just annoys me with his presence. His surfer-dude schtick just grates on you after awhile. Lili Taylor makes this movie all hers inspite of the impressive cast.The film is rather tame in that their is no nudity or sex, and little in the way of gore or violence. I like a spooky film that I can watch with my entire family. I have my daughter, 10, close her eyes for the one violent scene in the film. Others be warned that one might not want younger kids to see the one death scene at the end, a decapitation, but even that scene is swiftly edited and lacks any real gore or bloodshed, but it is probably how this overall tame film got its "R" rating as the rest of the film is purely PG (not even PG-13). With even better editing, that death scene could have been more suggested than visual and that is the biggest problem with this film: too much focus on the visual. Nothing is creepily suggested as a better horror film would do.In any event, this is simple, old-fashioned spookiness with A+ special effects that take over the film a bit unnecessarily. The setting, set designs, and cinematography are all top-notch. The acting, with the exception of Lili Taylor, is rather pedestrian, but they are mostly believable. It may not be frightening, but it is haunting and memorable inspite of its flaws.