A movie review by Johnathan Pritchett Copyright © 1999 Johnathan Pritchett

'The Haunting' was one of those films I had high hopes for. Ever since I saw the trailer, I have waited impatiently for it's release. Finally I see it, and...well, uh...it kinda sucked. It wasn't that my expectations were too high going in or anything, it was just disappointing on its own. I had never read the book or seen any other 'based on' films of it, so I didn't know the story, but I thought it was going to be so much more.

The story is of Dr. Jeffrey Marrow (Liam Neeson) doing a research study on fear. He lures three volunteers, under false pretenses, to be his research. We have theodora (Catherine Zeta-Jones), Eleanor (Lily Taylor), and Luke (Owen Wilson). Marrow has chosen the Hill House to be his lab for his subjects to live in for observation. Eleanor discovers some of the history of the house. Its owner was a terrible man who used children as labor and these children's spirits began to speak to her. The house is alive with souls of its past. That much was pretty cool. Good set-up, but bad execution.

As far as acting goes, I thought the performances were borderline terrible all around. Liam Neeson is probably hoping his comment about screen acting is still on our minds when we see this film (see Star Wars review). His acting is almost soul-less. I won't let his comment excuse it, but the blame isn't entirely on him either. His character was either under-written, or his scenes were over edited. I couldn't tell, but for top-billing he certainly had little screen time for a film with so few characters. In fact, as with Zeta-Jones and Owen Wilson as well, we are given too little to care about these characters. Lily Taylor is actually the lead in this film. By way of story, she is given most development and screen time. Sadly, she was also the film's weakest link. She may be thought of as a solid actress, but I find her not to be that exactly. I rather thought she was horrible in this film. Her character, and performance, were often annoying.

Written by David Self, the script is self-sufficient, but not too satisfying. Some of the dialogue is extremely lame, along with some of the plot twists and especially the way Eleanor's connection to the movie was written. This display of bad writing is trumpeted in the last fifteen minutes especially; in both story and dialogue. To say it was cheesy seems appropriate. The storyline itself is actually, as I said earlier, very intriguing. However, this written version of the source material is a let down. It seemed too cliché' for what looked to be, and could've been, a cut above in both style and writing. I know it is hard to see what I am talking about if you haven't seen the movie, but for those who have, or after you have, you'll see at least where I am coming from. That is to say even if you agree or not. The worst of what I am talking about is at the film's end, but hints of cliché', or cheese, can be found as the film progresses from the beginning.

Visually the film is amazing. The house, whether there are visual effects in a scene or not, is an incredible marvel to behold. The special effects themselves are outstanding, as well as realistic. Really, really cool stuff going on here. The camera work by Caleb Deschand brilliantly displays the house and the action. Under the direction of Jan de Bont, the camera work, special effects, and other technical aspects of the film were the only things he did right. While some of this can be blamed on the script, the pacing of the film was terrible. Continuity problems were among the least of which to complain about. The most was the fact that the film dragged. The pacing was probably intended to build tension, but it didn't work. No tension was built. All we are left with is a boring, dragged out annoyance. No good scares and definitely a bad pay-off.

This film reminds me of 'The Island of Dr. Moreau'. It looked promising, but it wasn't. We thought that the top-billed actors would be the focus, but they weren't. We expected so much, and received so little. The cast and crew of 'The Haunting' should all be commended for their ability to not recognize this missed opportunity. A person would have to be...uh...special in order to not have seen it. Oh well...Hope they all get on track and fare better in the future.

Grade: Eh

	Running Time: 125 Min | Rated PG-13 | US Release: July 23rd | More >>

Related 'Haunting' Links:

• Official Site
• DreamWorks SKG Fansite-Haunting
• Upcomingmovies.com: The Haunting
• Holding Darkness Within -- The Haunting

Some Houses Are Born Bad.