The Haunting

Rating:
Summary: Without a doubt, the best of its kind
Review: With a tiny cast, some fairly extravagant sets (His set dressers must have raided every antique store in LA), black-and-white photography, and some pretty unnerving photography, THE HAUNTING is every bit as wondrous as the reviews claim. Yes it's thirty years old, but there are scenes that, with no more than a single light, some sound fx, and Julie Christie acting her heart out, will scare you into a helluva lot of sleepness nights. Not to sound cynical, but this is one film I really wish they'd left alone instead of inflicting us with a "remake". One of THE HAUNTING's biggest assets was its *lack* of special effects -- no CGIs, no high drama, just a wallop of suggestion to let the audience do the work. The remake looks like nothing *but* computer generated scares, and, folks, what fun is that anymore?

Rating:
Summary: Good for an old movie
Review: Okay, maybe I'm desensitised, since I didn't find it that scary. Special effects as we know them were still years in the future. But the way the hint at ghosts(I know, it's not a strong enough word) was pretty cool. It was full of suspense, which more than makes up for the rest.

Rating:
Summary: Still shaking after all these years
Review: I first saw this movie when I was about 10 years old (30 years ago). Me and my two sisters were home alone as my folks had to go out for the evening. I spent half the movie under the coffee table; barely able to muster the courage to keep watching (and this was on regular TV!). Personally, I'll pass on the re-make and recommend the original.

Rating:
Summary: A black and white horror epic!
Review: I first saw this film when I was about 9 years old. The scene with the "expanding" library door still gives me the shivers. Black and white suits the claustrophobic/brooding quality of the film. In a genre now overwhelmed by "Slasher" productions this movie is an example of how you can truly terrify someone without resorting to dragging them through a slaughter house!

Rating:
Summary: Repressed lesbian desire haunts woman
Review: See THE HAUNTING with a friend, not just because it is scary, but because there is so, so much you will want to discuss after you first watch it. Although kids can enjoy it as a simple ghost story, most adults viewers cannot help but see the not-at-all-submerged subtext of sexual desire, specifically lesbian desire. In just about every scene there is some dialog, narration, camerawork (ex.- woman shown behind bars), symbolic object, symbolic action, or metaphor of some kind relating to repression and sexuality. The obviousness of all this is really surprising given the date of the film. In fact, the date makes the "sub"text all the more exciting. To get the most out of this film, pick up an unabridged copy of Freud's INTERPRETATION OF DREAMS. Then use the book's index to look up Freud's analyses of things relevant to the film, like 'staircase dreams'. (Viewing the film's staircase sequence in light of Freud's analyses is great fun!) And you will certainly want to read Patricia White's article on the film, entitled "FEMALE SPECTATOR, LESBIAN SPECTER: THE HAUNTING" reprinted in the excellent anthology, INSIDE/OUT, edited by Diana Fuss, published by Routledge 1991. (One final note: even though the remake stars the way-cool, indie-woman-of-my-dreams, Lili Taylor, YOU SIMPLY *MUST* SEE THE ORIGINAL.)

Rating:
Summary: Possibly the greatest "ghost" story I have ever seen.
Review: While I have not seen the remake of The Haunting, the original movie was indeed terrifying. To this day, I have been unable to forget most of the film. I can't wait to see the remake. Love Liam Neison.

Rating:
Summary: Frightening
Review: A physcological thriller bound to hit the nerves of even the most brave. You can't help but feel sorry for Eleanor, the "heroin" of the movie. Bound the give the meek nightmares, The Haunting is scary without being gory.

Rating:
Summary: A Classic Haunted House Movie
Review: The key strength of Robert Wise's movie is its ability to keep the idea of a possessed, evil house somewhat down to Earth, somewhat plausible, where eerieness is the goal, not getting audiences to jump out of their seats at the sight of Elm Street slashers or bloody heads floating around. I think the scenes at the beginning of the movie depicting the history of the house are the essence of plausible supernatural creepiness, unlike corny "Poltergeist" or hokey "The Haunting of Hell House." And Wise's work is sophisticated, unlike shock-and-shlock films in the "Halloween" or "Friday the 13th" category. The novel by Shirley Jackson, which "The Haunting" is based on, contained key scenes that were effective and contributed to the eerieness of her story (the rickety spiral staircase, for example). But I thought Robert Wise and his screenwriter were very clever in eliminating scenes that were far too literal-minded (e.g., Theo finding red liquid -- blood? -- splattered all over her clothes and bedroom walls) or that took away from the impenetrable, evil-lurking-inside sense of the mansion (for instance, Nell and Theo encountering apparitions of a family on a picnic out in the garden).   The screenplay also eliminated distracting, extraneous characters (e.g., the chauffeur of the doctor's wife) and less creepy plot ideas (2 daughters -- vs Hugh Crain's only child Abigal -- who have legal battles over the mansion, which they both move out of during their lifetime---compared with the story of someone spending her entire spinster life cooped up in the mansion and, most strangely, its nursery.) Also, the idea of the nursery room -- kept locked and unseen until the end -- as the evil heart of the house, with the cold spot directly outside the door, contributes to the movie's eerieness. Technically, Wise's film is well executed -- Citizen Kane-ish -- especially for the genre of ghost/haunted house movies. The sets -- particularly if Wise didn't use the interiors of a real mansion -- are quite realistic and creepy. And I thought Robert Wise using the monologue approach to capture the weak, neurotic nature of the Julie Harris character adds to the film's stressful tone. However, there can be moments bordering on melodrama, such as when the professor, at the foot of the staircase, tells Luke not to be so confident in his disbelief of the supernatural or when Luke gives his little closing line at the end of the film.   But, overall, if a truly evil, haunted house could be found and verified, I'd imagine a documentary depicting such a place wouldn't be necessarily far more non-fictional-like and believable than the 1963 movie "The Haunting."

Rating:
Summary: A Frightning experience you won't soon forget!!
Review: This has got to be one of the best horror flicks ever. With the most amazing acting ever, a wonderful cast, and enough eerie music and high pitched screams to keep you watching all night long, this is one good film. CHECK IT OUT!!!! And then, read the book! It will have you enthralled, and straining your eyeballs. Truest me. THIS IS A GOOD ONE!!!

Rating:
Summary: SCARIEST BLACK & WHITE MOVIE EVER
Review: Fabolous acting. Very scary. Good story. What else is there to say