The Haunting (1999)

Directed by Jan de Bont [Other horror films: N/A]

I don’t think many people would argue were I to make the claim that the appeal The Haunting most reaches to is spectacle. It’s a CGI-laden movie, and at times, one could certainly put forth that, at an hour and 53 minutes, the movie’s progressing slowly. These factors may be true, but I have to admit that despite that, I tend to enjoy this.

Many have either negative or lukewarm reaction to this film, and I personally believe that much of it is because it’s a new adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson; to put a finer point on this, this movie is not a remake of the 1963 classic, but a new adaptation of the source material. This is a distinction that may seem needlessly pedantic to some, but I personally find it a very important distinction to make.

For those people who think this is a remake, obviously this movie is then being pitted against one of the true classics of the 1960’s, and of course it’s going to unfavorably compare to it. Given that this isn’t a remake, though, judging it against another adaptation, while certainly valid, isn’t the way I wanted to go.

In part, it’s due to the fact I don’t love the 1963 movie. I don’t dislike it, by any means, but I’m not going to sit here and pretend that I absolutely adore a movie that I don’t. When it comes to creepy 60’s movies, I’d pick The Innocents every single time. Again, I’m not saying that the 1963 version isn’t good, but I can say that it’s never been one of my favorites.

I’m also pretty sure that I saw this version long before I sat down to watch the 1963 one. The sense of nostalgia I feel toward this isn’t particularly strong, nor is it particularly impactful on how I view the film, but I did see this at a somewhat younger stage in life, and I’m sure it impressed me back then.

Nowadays, I have no problem admitting the film has flaws. The amount of CGI is absolutely ridiculous, and though I do think some of the usage looks decent, or at least impressive (the spirit swimming through the curtains and sheets come to mind), it’s a very stark difference from what people who love the 1963 version of the story might expect.

I’ve no complaints on the performances, though. Lili Taylor (Leatherface, The Addiction, Eli, The Conjuring) made for a rather compelling lead, and I thought that the finale carried a mild emotional impact with it. Liam Neeson (Batman Begins) is of good quality, as one could expect. Catherine Zeta-Jones isn’t a name I honestly know too well, but she brought her A game also.

It’s possible that Owen Wilson (Anaconda) felt a bit too light-hearted at times, but I don’t think it was a big issue. Neither Alix Koromzay (Children of the Corn 666: Isaac’s Return) nor Todd Field stuck around long enough to make any impression, and I can say the same of Bruce Dern (Swamp Devil, Twixt, Coffin Baby, Choose). For a one-hit wonder, though, we have Marian Seldes (she did get more than one scene, but her opening portion is by far the most memorable, along with her speech).

Denying the grandeur and splendor of the setting is also beyond me. I think the mansion and the grounds are absolutely beautiful, and if this movie’s main aim was spectacle, I think by the setting alone, they did a great job. Any time we got a shot of the mansion from a birds-eye view, I thought it looked absolutely stunning, and the various rooms throughout the mansion were stellar too.

The story here does take a bit to really get going, and I think problematically, I’m not sure it’s all that interesting, and even if someone did find it interesting, it’s also true to say that it doesn’t really feel all that original. Aspects are decent, and I’ve never hated the story or anything, but I don’t think it does near enough to set itself apart from other like-minded films.

Generally, I do enjoy The Haunting, but I can understand the mixed and lukewarm reception it’s received over the years. It has a straight 5/10 on IMDb right now (with almost 80,000 total votes), so there’s a large amount of people out there who just find this whole experience ‘meh,’ and after a movie that’s almost two hours, that’s somewhat damning on it’s own.

I don’t think it’s really an above average film, for all that I enjoy about it, but I also don’t think it’s any worse. Straight average seems fine to me, and honestly, is probably the highest I dare go.

7/10