The Haunting

	Review by Howard Anderson © 2000 Howard Anderson

Synopsis

For over a century, the dark and forbidding Hill House has sat alone and abandoned... or so it seemed. Intrigued by the mansion's storied past, Dr. Marrow (Liam Neeson) lures his three subjects - Theo (Catherine Zeta-Jones), Nell (Lily Taylor) and Luke (Owen Wilson) - to the site for a seemingly harmless experiment. But, from the moment of their arrival, Nell seems mysteriously drawn to the house... and the attraction is frighteningly mutual. When the night descends, the study goes horrifyingly awry as the subjects discover the haunting secrets that live within the walls of Hill House.

Review

This film was not recieved with the greatest of enthusiasm by most critics out there when it was released this summer, but then, what do those blasted pencile-pushers know anyway.

There have been many other critically lambasted films in the same genre that I have though were great entertainment, and also delivered a few frights along the way. Such as "Fallen", "In Dreams", and "Event Horizon". Perhaps especially "Event Horizon", as a lot of the same sinister and omnious feel of that film can also be found in "The Haunting".

The production design of "Event Horizon" was refered to by the film makers as medievel-techno, with a multitude of gruesome steel constructions dominating the imagery in virtually every scene. It really was the embodiment of pure evil. And in the same way the victorian-gothic feel of "The Haunting" made my skin crawl and the hairs stand up in the nape of my neck. There was just something so very wrong and disturbing about it, with its many gruesome gargoyles and statues, and houndreds of carved out children's faces along every wall, bed and stairway in the house. The work and detail put into this took my breath away, and if nothing else, this film has to take home the Oscar for best set design.

Then there's the CGI. Did it OD on computer imagery? Personally I didn't think so, as the quality of the CGI was out of this world (and far into the next), and so I never really applied any thought to it as CGI. It was just a continuation of the enthralling sets and a way to make the walls, roofs, windows and what not, come alive with even more menace. Also, in the matter of the ghosts haunting this great mansion - the sight of their fleshless bodies gliding along the flapping drapes and beneath the bedcovers was, like most things in this film (Catherine Zeta-Jones included), captivating and very pleasing to the eye, indeed.

Acting-wise Lily Taylor steals the entire piece, leaving Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Owen Wilson frolicking in the shadows. I feel I have to mention the bisexual side to Catherine Zeta-Jones' character, as that fact gets advertised quite often. Nothing wrong with that, but I wonder if her attraction to Lily Taylor's character would not have worked even better if there had been some small piece of insecurity or akwardness in her carnal pursuit, instead of making her come off like a Catherine Tremell wanna-be. Just a thought...

But the house... Oh, the house... Simply put, if Lucifer has a manison anywhere, then Hill House is it. It is stylish and beautiful in one moment, and horrifying and damnation incarnate the next. I loved it.

If you haven't guessed it yet, I thought "The Haunting" was a really entertaining movie. and like it says on the cover: "A funhouse of shrieks and screams". That's putting it perfectly.

Image

Presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, the image is striking in every way imaginable. Every shadow, color-scheme and flesh-tone is rendered perfectly, and from what I could see, there were no artifacts or any other undesirables present anywhere throughout the film.

Sound

I have never heard anything equal to this. The sound is used to masterfull effect from the very first frame, and it really puts the fear of God into you as it at several instancs suddenly lashes out at you and makes your heart skip a beat - or ten... The bass hits the floor - no, let me rephrase that - it pounds straight through the floor boards and just keeps on going. This is Deep bass, with a capital "D". The 5.1 channels are alive every second of the way, and there are things coming at you from all directions. If this isn't demo quality stuff, then I have no idea what is.

Features

Allthough not as packed as the usual Signature Selection disc from DreamWorks SKG, there is however a great Behind-the-Scenes Feature, hosted by Catherine Zeta-Jones, as well as a couple of trailers - in full 5.1 sound, no less.

Overall Opinion

A great film, and an even greater DVD. The supplements might not be the most enticing ever, but the shere quality of the DVD itself sertainly justifies the Signature Selection label placed upon it. I certainly enjoyed every second of it.