But the real main character is the house itself. A marvel of set design, Hill House is filled with cavernous rooms. Bedroom ceilings vault to heights of 30 feet or more. Curtains twist and toss in the breeze. Hallways lead past a seemingly endless profusion of doorways.
Main chambers lay waiting like Egyptian tombs.
Fanciful rooms open like music boxes and rotate on huge platforms. Unfortunately, however, director De Bont has no faith whatsoever in the ability of ghosts to scare contemporary audiences. The results are simply ludicrous, particularly in the movie's later half as the effects multiply in number. The Haunting serves as an excellent case study in how special effects can actually hamper the imagination of the filmmakers. With all the digital effects at his fingertips, director De Bont and screenwriter Self discarded storytelling in favor of visual overload.