Rating: 
Summary: Underrated, but It Doesn't Beat Out The Original.
Review: The Haunting is a remake of the 1963 black and white horror classic about a group of people trapped inside of a game that is taking place within an old victorian building. Along for the ride is Lil Taylor and Catherine Zeta-Jones who really aren't too bad in their roles, they're realistic at least.
Rating: 
Summary: REALLY Bad
Review: Back in the 1960's, Robert Wise made a movie based on a haunted house story written by Shirley Jackson. That original version of "The Haunting" is an excellent film, filled with atmosphere and subtle terrors. It is still considered one of the best haunted house movies ever made.Unfortunately, this late-1990's remake of "The Haunting", instead of improving on the original, is a disaster. In keeping with many film-makers worst impulses, the makers of this flick have re-written the story to the point that it bears little resemblance to the original. It always amazes me that many movie projects are started based on a literary work, only to be re-written to the point that little resemblance to the original work remains beyond the title. If there is any need to illustrate the wisdom of sticking to the story, the recent success of the first Harry Potter movie and the original "Jurassic Park" should be sufficient. Peter Jackson's "Lord Of The Rings" movies looks to be another case in point. This remake of "The Haunting", along with altering the story until it is almost unrecognizable, manages to lose the all of the sublety and atmosphere of the Wise's movie version, as well. Instead, the viewer is bludgeoned by overdone special effects. Character development has been forgotten, too. The only redeeming aspect is the beautiful sets and a decent performance by Lili Taylor in the role of Nell (although there's little of the original Nell left). The 1999 version of "The Haunting" is weak, and it suffers even more in comparison with the outstanding earlier version. If you want a good haunted house movie, get a copy of the Wise version. It's great. Avoid this turkey.
Rating:
Summary: One of the first sufferers of "Episode I" Syndrome.
Review: Joel Seigel's review on the front cover of this DVD box says, "a funhouse of shrieks and screams." All I can say is that he must have been referring to the house inside the movie and not the actual movie, because this movie neither made me shriek nor scream. It is a bland, boring, and terrible film right from the start. Why does "The Haunting" suffer from "Episode I" Syndrome? Because it does exactly what "Star Wars Episode I" did: overuse special effects and not develop the characters enough. Throughout the movie, viewers are treated to some teriffic special effects (teriffic for its time, at least), but there is virtually no character development. After watching these actors in this movie, it's pretty hard to believe they can actually act. Dialogue sounds forced and overemotional and even unnatural. Plot development is weak at best, and everyone can easily see that the special effects are there to bring the film out of the slump it has fallen into. Does it work? Sometimes, but the effect wears off as soon as the special effects disappear and the bad plot and acting return. Probably the worst part about this movie is that it's considered an adaptation of Shirley Jackson's classic horror story "The House of Haunted Hill". I haven't seen the classic film entirely, I did see the part involving the spiral staircase. Let me just say that this sequence is done a lot better in "The House of Haunted Hill" than "The Haunting". And while the sequence does have a purpose in "House", it has no purpose in "Haunting" other than to showcase the special effect of the staircase falling apart. If this is any indication of how "Haunting" compares to "House", then "Haunting" is nothing short of blasphemy if it calls itself an adaptation of "House". To put it bluntly, "The Haunting" is a terrible film. I can only reccommend this movie to students majoring in film making and directing so they can see exactly what not to do when making a movie. To everyone else, watch it only if you're extremely bored and if you can watch free on television. Other than that, it's not even worth thinking about.
Rating: 
Summary: Special Effects Do Not A Movie Make
Review: Although laden with elaborate and often fascinating special effects and scenic designs, this up-date of Shirley Jackson's celebrated novel "The Haunting of Hill House" is interesting ONLY for special effects and scenic designs. In retelling the story of researchers who investigate a supposedly haunted house, the film makers rather miss the point of both the novel and earlier (and extremely effective) Julie Harris version--i.e., we have met the ghosts and they may be us--eschewing the true terror of the original by unnecessarily tampering with the plot [...]. Those who have never read the novel or seen the Harris version will find this version entertaining but dismissable; those who have, however, will be extremely disappointed in the result.
Rating:
Summary: AWFUL!
Review: I was so furious by this piece of trash that I could barely speak. They hijacked Shirley Jackson's novel and made a mess. The film misses all of the fine characterizations of the novel and just crumples them into cardboard caricatures that you could care less about. The building suspense and the sense of dread are jettisoned for over the top CGI effects and cheap scares. This movie was just an excuse to show off computer generated effects. Too much 90's psychobabble finds itself in and reduces the end to an Opera episode: Ghostly old patriarchs who abuse kids and the women who confront them. Get the 1963 version of "The Haunting" and read The haunting Of Hill House by Shirley Jackson and discover what true horror is.
Rating:
Summary: Oh no,
Review: It is in movies like these that I really miss poltergeist, the fog, and the good old scarefests that really knew how to scare.
This movie is good, in the beginning, when it all isn't so complex.
But then, after that, the story really gets really complex, and instead, about evil being just evil, it is really about some old fartknocker who is some marble short. In the end of the movie, it is just a concept that has swallowed a little bit of its own lunch, and some bad acting as well. No. The effects are so so. But it doesn't matter much if you don't believe in the movie. Trust me, don't watch this one, its an experience which won't be the worst film you'll ever see. But hardly the best either.
Rating:
Summary: Utter Rubbish
Review: This film was loosely (!!) based on two the excellent earlier pictures The Haunting and The Legend Of Hell House. The original The Haunting was a lesson in understated spooky atmospherics whilst Hell House combined atmosphere with excitement to great effect. To say that this new version is a disappointment would be gross understatement. It achieves little or no spooky atmosphere, the "scary" effects are generally badly judged and are not remotely scary, the plot is garbled and excessively sentimental (particularly saccharine toward the end), the casting is bad and the acting is weak (some sympathy to the cast stuck in this dud). This movie is similar to The Frighteners but without a sense of humour. If you want to see what this film should have been like then buy the original The Haunting and the Legend Of Hell House - this film is an insult to their memory. Don't buy this, it is truly rubbish.
Rating: 
Summary: (...)
Review: This is an excellent movie. I really enjoyed it. (...) If you haven't seen this movie, see it. The best time to watch this is alone at night; better yet with a friend. "THE HAUNTING" delivers lots of thrills and a very good, but sad ending. "THE HAUNTING" is about Hill House, a mansion that hides a dark and terrible secret. Dr. Marrow (Liam Neeson), fascinated by the house's history, decides to lure three unsuspecting subjects--Theo (Catherine Zeta-Jones), Nell (Lili Taylor), and Luke (Owen Wilson)--to the mansion for a what-appears-to-be harmless experiment that goes completely haywire.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than you might expect
Review: As a former newspaper film reviewer I'm amazed that so many professional critics have panned this film with such relentless severity. Sure enough, 'The Haunting' is not masterpiece but it's no failure either. The film is spooky and hectic, creepy and fun; the way Hollywood ghost films should be. Many critics seem to point to the original 'The Haunting' and compare its perceived merits to this opus. I saw the earlier version at a spooky midnight premier back in the Sixties and disliked its monochrome dreariness, its overwrought central performance by Julie Harris and the cerebral intensity of Robert Wise's plodding direction. The novel was brilliant; that film was inept. Forget comparisons. Book and film can never match each other when it comes to tingling the spine. The closest success has been 'The Innocence' based on Henry James's 'The Turn of the Screw.' But that had a Dalton Trumbo screenplay and Jack Clayton behind the camera so that's another story. Back to the present. 'The Haunting' has great production values. Hill House is 'played' by Harlaxton Manor in Lincolnshire, England and the magnificent interiors where shot on a California sound stage on some of the finest sets I've viewed. They have to be seen to be believed. 'The Haunting' is not immersed in special effects but when they come they are very acceptable and quite scary at times. No chill down the spine scary but rather head under a cushion thrills. And the sound effects are superb. Listen and thrill. The acting? Good, bad, indifferent and silly. I'll let you decide who merits those adjectives. The screenplay is effective but perhaps it's best to put aside Shirley Jackson's rending of the yarn as this film unfolds. It's takes a few too many wrong turns and ends up with a plot twist that's downright foolish. Never mind. The trip that far made me forgive all that hysterical nonsense at the end. 'The Haunting' is directed with assurance by Jan De Bont who did 'Twister' and 'The Chase.' A man who knows about fun movies. And, unlike so many contemporary Hollywood movies, this one benefits by being silly. And noisy and fun. It's lovely to look at and delightful to know. You'll watch 'The Haunting' more than once. The DVD had language choices and a bonus feature with one of the stars - Catherine Zeta Jones - talking about goolies and ghosties and the making the film. It's all very interesting. I highly recommend 'The Haunting' and if I was back in the review business I'd give it an unhesitating four out of five stars. Just to annoy the other buttock clenched critics who condemned it. It actually deserves three. 'The Haunting' is great fun.
Rating:
Summary: Studio Executives Seriously Out To Lunch
Review: I do believe that the studio executives who a) thought the remake would be a good idea and b) allowed it to be made the way it was should be forced to work at McDonald's for the rest of their lives. This movie was laughingly bad - particularly if you've seen the timeless and still very scary original. Once again Hollywood chooses FX over everything else (plot, character development, etc.). If you are the kind of person who needs to be spoon fed your entertainment - having everything explained to you every step of the way and can't believe in it if you don't see it, you will certainly enjoy this video. If you want to see a classic haunted house story and be scared, then get the original movie with Claire Bloom.
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