Rating: Summary: Pretty Goofy! Review: I think I was expecting a little bit more than what I saw, I think the movie did have some potential but, it got lost somewhere amidst the more than gratuitus nudity scenes and the frequent references to incest amongst unknown english actors! What a Bore!
Rating: Summary: This is the best movie you would find in the Horror aisle! Review: This movie IS scary. And it IS NOT becouse of scary faces (it's NOT like in the EXORSIST) and NOT becouse of blood, gore and violense (It's Not like CHILD'S PLAY). No, this movie isn't really violent, what is scary about it is the WONDERFUL story of James Herbert's novel. The story is not only scary but it's iteresting and beautiful (so not only guys would like it but girls will too). The movie has actors that played GREAT! This isn't the movie that will amaze you with it's makeup and super effects. This is a movie that will amaze you with a story much stronger than any other movie you will EVER see. And the best part is the twist in the end that will make you not only like the movie but LOVE it! Trust me, this isn't the movie you would want to see just once!
Rating: Summary: Movie is great but the DVD is a big disappointment Review: This review is more about the actual DVD instead of the movie. I bought this DVD to replace my VHS but have some misgivings after doing so. After comparing the transfers side by side there is very little difference in picture quality. Detail isn't much better either except you can see more film grain on the DVD than on the VHS. Another minus is there is no closed captioning or subtitles on the DVD, but the VHS does have closed captioning. So if you are hard of hearing the video tape is your best bet. There are not extras of anykind on this DVD just the movie and it's pan and scan, not widescreen. Maybe 1:33:1 is the OAR for this movie but I doubt it. Oh well, I guess what I'm saying is if you have the VHS go ahead and stick with it unless you must absolutely have every movie you own on DVD.
Rating: Summary: Classical horror is alive and well in this overlooked gem Review: With the pervasiveness of the slasher sub-genre in the horror marketplace over the last 15 years, it's been rather difficult for more discriminating horror fans to find horror films that disturb and frighten without resorting to decapitation and mutilation of all sorts of obnoxious teenagers. For all the genuine originality and post-modern irony of the original Scream (which - like Unforgiven - should have closed, not reinvigorated,its sub-genre) its novelty has long since worn out thanks partly to its cynical, bland sequels and other putrid imitations. Thankfully, the recent success of The Sixth Sense and - to a lesser extent - A Stir of Echoes and What Lies Beneath suggests there may be light at the end of the tunnel for those of us increasingly tired of endless, infantile and inferior rehashes of Halloween and Black Christmas. But for horror collectors who revere movies like The Uninvited, The Innocents, Rosemary's Baby, The Haunting (original), The Legend of Hell House, The Exorcist, Don't Look Now, The Changeling, Burnt Offerings and the like, the bulk of recent Hollywood horror output has not been kind to our collections. Well look no further horror buffs! Lewis Gilbert's superb Haunted is the unacknowledged classic you've been looking for. Deploying the staples of intelligent classical horror - a haunted mansion; a twisted family history; a sceptical investigator - Gilbert has fashioned a classic of the genre that is destined for cult status. Beautifully set in the rustic south of England following World War One, the story involves a Cambridge professor (Aidan Quinn) who is a renowned debunker of supernatural phenomena. Invited to Edbrook Estate to investigate an old woman's allegations of "evil spirits" haunting the mansion she tends, he encounters the eccentric but charming family occupying the mansion. As his relationship with the sister (Kate Beckinsale in excellent form) grows, dynamics are brought into play which gradually begin to reveal the true evil at the heart of the house and its history. To complicate matters, the young professor is haunted - first emotionally, then literally - by his dead sister, whose drowning at the age of seven he blames on himself. From its wrenching opening scene (recalling Nicolas Roeg's Don't Look Know) through to its unsettling concluding revelation (only the sharpest of you will figure it out beforehand), Haunted grabs you and never lets go. Midnight scratches on doors; mysterious gypsey seances; empty chairs rocking vigorously; apparitions swirling across dark lawns; spectral fires springing from nowhere; and something horrid in the lake ... Haunted hits all the right buttons with an admirable lack of embarrassment or irony. This movie is out to scare you and every frame accords to that function. So for those of you unable to get your fix from Jan de Bont's abysmal remake of The Haunting, take my word for it - this is the movie you'd been expecting! This is a horror classic awaiting for your discovery.
Rating: Summary: A TRULY SCARY LOVE/GHOST STORY. Review: I HAVE ALWAYS ENJOYED THE WAY THAT ENGLISH WRITERS ARE ABLE TO BLEND IN THE ASPECTS OF A GOOD OLD FASHIONED SUSPENSE TALE(THIS IS A GHOST STORY THAT HAS ALOT OF ELEMENTS OF SUSPENSE TO IT) AND PUT IN A ROMANCE ANGLE.THE WAY THE MAIN CHARACTER IS MANIPULATED BY THE FAMILY AND HOW HE ACTUALLY BEGINS TO FINALLY BELIEVE THE STORIES THEY ARE TELLING HIM IS WONDERFUL.THIS IS A VERY GOOD STORY ACTED OUT BY SOME VERY TALENTED ENGLISH ACTORS.IT IS A VERY SENSUAL MOVIE WITH A ENDING THAT WAS QUITE A SURPRISE.I REALLY ENJOYED ALL THE PLOT TWISTS AND AM THINKING OF PURCHASING THIS IN THE DVD VERSION.
Rating: Summary: Chilling period piece! Review: HAUNTED looks more "PBS" than "Hollywood slasher". It appears to be slow moving at times but is thoroughly enjoyable if you look forward to being absorbed in an intelligent period piece. While the entire cast was superb, Kate Beckinsale is stand-out exquisite as the "audaciously charming" Christina Mariell, making this is an essential purchase for Beckinsale fans alone. The ending is truly shocking if you don't see it coming. Knowing how it ends however, has not deterred me from watching HAUNTED again and again. Just hinting a little here - if you haven't already seen it (I won't give anything away), take note of the following scenes (which have become my favorites): when the gypsy woman studies Christina Mariell's palm and says "I cannot tell you anything you do not already know" and how Nanny Tess behaves during the party scene before the Mariell's play "hide and seek". Chilling! I recommend this wholeheartedly to anyone who enjoys a good, old fashioned ghost story!
Rating: Summary: Best Ghost Story Ever! Review: As a serious fan of ghost stories, I have to say that this is the very best film of its genre I have ever seen. The plot is complex, the characterization and acting are superb, and best of all it generates within the viewer genuine goosebumps, which is rare in this age of movies which use special effects to thrill the viewer, instead of old-fashioned quality movie making. I hope to see more movies like this one in the future!
Rating: Summary: Eccentric ghosts run around naked... Review: I thought this film was pretty good and had some good acting, it was mysterious and a little spooky. However, I felt it was too boring in places and sometimes the F/X were not as convincing as they should have been. It's a shame this film is underated, it could have been a lot better and I'm sure that the novel would be scarier.
Rating: Summary: At last a ghost story with elements of surprise. Review: Should anyone degrade this film, they are obviously more in tune with the "slasher flicks" of the early "80s". I was pleased, as was my significant other, by the quality of the story line, characters, and approptiate use of special effects. It was not overdone, as some current computer generated attempts. Great cast and finish. A truly worthy ghost story.
Rating: Summary: The Theory of Relativity Proven Review: This was a wonderfully crafted story. The viewer is lead exactly where the writer wants them to go. The actors are all extremely talented and the casting director knew what was up by selecting them for their parts. The ending was not predictable, I was surprised: and I am a writer myself. My only regret is that I didn't come up with this one myself. It's a delicious story at Halloween or any dark night you want a tinglingly pleasant chill in the air...often, when you must confront ghosts, you will have to confront youself as well which can just as terrifying as the supernatural.
|