THE HAUNTING (1999)
Label: Umbrella Entertainment
Region Code: Region-FREE
Rating: M
Duration: 101 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1)
Director: Jon De Bont
Cast: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Liam Neeson, Lili Taylor, Owen Wilson, Marian Seldes, Bruce Dern, Alix Koromzay, Todd Field, Virginia Madsen, Tom Irwin, Charles Gunning
In this is the slick-looking remake Robert Wise's The Haunting (1963), both based on Shirley Jackson's novel "The Haunting of Hill House" (1959), college professor Dr. Marrow (Liam Neeson, Darkman) hosts three subjects - Theo (Catherine Zeta-Jones, High Fidelity), Nell (Lili Taylor, The Addiction) and Luke (Owen Wilson, The Royal Tenenbaums) - at the sprawling Hill House mansion, as part of a clinical study of insomnia. As the group settle in for the night Dr. Marrow reveals the tragic history of the mansion, a Victorian structure built by a 19th century textile tycoon named Hugh Crain who built it for his new wife and their future children. Before he was able to realize his dream of having children with his wife she hung herself, afterward the grieving Crain continued to build onto the mansion for years, becoming a recluse, with strange local rumors persisting about the goings-on at the house, including the eerie sounds of children coming from the property.
Nell seems eerily attracted to the sprawling mansion, feeling as though she'd been there before, and certainly strange things begin happening soon enough, with Dr. Marrow's assistant Mary(Alix Koromzay, Mimic) nearly losing an eye when a ghostly-wound string from a harpsichord whips her in the eye, having to be take away to the hospital by another assistant named Todd (Todd Fields, Eyes wide Shut).
Eventually the trio of insomniacs come to believe there's more afoot than insomnia research, and they're not wrong. Turns out that the doctor is studying the effects of fear, hence the strange haunted setting, but even the doctor is unprepared for the supernatural happenings they encounter inside Hill House as the dwelling begins to come to life around them, revealing the mansion's horrific secrets.
Visually this film is an absolute knockout, the sprawling Gothic mansion looks fantastic from top-to-bottom with the long eerie hallways, the intricate design of the interiors, the looming exteriors, all of which is wonderfully captured on film by cinematographer Karl Walter Lindenlaub (Stargate). Adding to the eerie charm is a gorgeous score from Jerry Goldsmith (The Omen) that adds to the eerie charms.
Where the film is less engaging is the script, the casting, and the dated late-nineties digital effects. I am not sure why they decided that a sleep-study was the best way to get these characters together inside the mansion, the original film sets it up so simply with paranormal investigators looking to explore the supernatural. This remake goes with an overly convoluted sleep-study set-up, it seems to be a change for the sake of change, but certainly not an improvement. There's a few also too many characters that prove to be inconsequential, beginning with the sister of Nell played by Virginia Madsen (Candyman) who comes and goes in a matter of minutes. Also there and gone are the doctor's assistants, and the properties caretakers, one of whom is played by Bruce Dern (The 'Burbs). Liam Neeson is a bit too stiff, while poor Owen Wilson has nothing do except wander the halls of the mansion looking lost. Catherine Zeta-Jones (High Fidelity) has never done much for me, here she has a vibe that brought to mind a less sarcastic version of Margot Kidder's "Barb" from Black Christmas (1974), a sexy, free-spirit who in the end doesn't have all that much to do. I did like Lili Taylor (The Addiction) as the grieving and fragile Nell, who is strangely drawn to the spirits within the mansion, she turns in the best performance of the bunch.
There were precious few movies from the late-90's that were using digital FX on a large scale that hold up well and The Haunting is no different. While the original film was subtle and creepy this is full-tilt 90's movie making, not subtle at all, but with a few good creepy moments at least. The best stuff is the smaller scares, like when we have ghostly cherubs surfing along the fabric of curtains and sheets, we saw a similar effect in Peter Jackson's The Frighteners (1996). The last fifteen minute of the film is the house quite literally coming alive and the digital effects are all over the place, things definitely get a bit wonky with the CGI effects reaching beyond, this is the stuff that badly dates the film, when something a bit more subtle would have aged a bit better.
There were precious few movies from the late-90's that were using digital FX on a large scale that hold up well and The Haunting is no different. While the original film was subtle and creepy this is full-tilt 90's movie making, not subtle at all, but with a few good creepy moments at least. The best stuff is the smaller scares, like when we have ghostly cherubs surfing along the fabric of curtains and sheets, we saw a similar effect in Peter Jackson's The Frighteners (1996). The last fifteen minute of the film is the house quite literally coming alive and the digital effects are all over the place, things definitely get a bit wonky with the CGI effects reaching beyond, this is the stuff that badly dates the film, when something a bit more subtle would have aged a bit better.
Audio/Video: The Haunting (1999) makes it worldwide Blu-ray debut from Umbrella Entertainment under license from Paramount Pictures, it's a region-free disc even though it's labeled as region B. The film is presented in 1080p HD and framed in 2.35:1 widescreen, looking to be from an older scan of the film with some mild DNR having been applied, but I still found it to be a solid looking transfer. The source is in fantastic shape with no blemishes, the colors are pleasing, and black levels are strong throughout. Audio on the disc comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 5.1, but sadly we get no subtitle options. The dialogue is delivered clean and crisp with the Jerry Goldsmith (Gremlins) score probably benefitting the most, it sounds great. There's plenty of low-end on this one with some excellent use of the surrounds, this is a very strong audio presentation.
No extras on this one, not even a trailer. The single-disc release comes housed in an oversized keepcase with a reversible sleeve of artwork, both sides featuring the same original poster only one option losing the unsightly ratings logo box on the front cover, which is always appreciated.
The Haunting (1999) is only a pale reflection of the original but it at least offers some gorgeous Gothic visuals, grand set-design and a wonderful Jerry Goldsmith score. I thought the supernatural elements were weak and the dated digital FX certainly hurt the overall impact, but all in all not bad for a glossy 90's ghost-story, but not great either.
More Screenshots from the Blu-ray.
