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From:Liam Neeson , Catherine Zeta-Jones , Owen Wilson , Lili Taylor , Bruce Dern , Paramount , Jan de Bont , Dreamworks Video ,
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 The Haunting, 2008-10-28
Catherine Zeta Jones and Owen Wilson star in this creepy thriller! This is one scary story of a haunted house that wont rest! Its not like House on Haunted Hill where the house locks you in, this one is just trying to scare you to death while you reside in it! Watch this movie!
 Cheesy fun and a good Halloween party movie, 2008-10-10
A glitzy 1999 remake of the classic 1963 film of the same name, with different plot twists and an alternate ending.
* Spectacular sets and a star-studded cast make this movie fun to watch.
* The weak story line bears little resemblance to the brilliant 1963 movie, also called The Haunting.
* Cheesy plot twists and some "good scares" contribute to the fun. It's not a thriller, or even a serious movie.
Do not expect this movie to show you what real ghosts are like. "Hill House" may be a magnificent Hollywood set, but it bears little resemblance to actual haunted houses.
If you're a fan of the terrifying book this movie is based on (The Haunting of Hill House (Penguin Classics), by Shirley Jackson) or the original movie, the new story line may be a huge disappointment, too.
To put it simply, this is a high-budget, slightly cheesy movie that you'll watch for laughs and a few "good scares".
I loved the sets and I was hopeful when I saw the cast list. However, I just didn't connect with the characters. On the other hand, the special effects were amusing and a few events startled me.
There were several moments that I thought, "No, they aren't really going to do that...," and then -- sure enough -- they did. The reverse psychology of it took me by surprise every time.
However, the moralizing conclusion of the movie was too cutesy and predictable. It also dragged on far too long, oblivious to several confusing lapses in logic.
This movie is probably worth seeing once, for fun, and a second time to savor the gorgeous sets.
Cook up some popcorn, turn down the lights, and expect a few shrieks... and shrieks of laughter as you and friends watch this somewhat silly movie.
Trivia: The spiral staircase from the original movie makes a cameo appearance in this film. It also gave Liam Neeson a genuine fright, since he is not fond of heights.
Gorgeous production, awful movie, 2008-09-25
Get this one just to look at the sets and the stunning effects. I would say watch it with the sound off, but some of the sound design is impressive as well. They obviously spent a lot of money making this movie as beautiful as possible ... too bad they couldn't make it GOOD.
Shirley Jackson's novel _The Haunting of Hill House_ is one of my all-time favorites. I re-read it when I heard this movie was coming out, and I was eager to see it. It started well enough. Even though the premise behind the characters being there was changed, and "that's not what Hill House is supposed to look like!" I was willing to forgive these slight details, especially since Mrs. Dudley speaks a whole paragraph straight out of the book in her scene. I thought "they're actually going to do it! They're actually going to do a faithful rendition of the book!"
Nope.
When Mrs. Dudley exited screen right, so did any resemblance to the original novel. Hugh Crain's past, and the reason for the haunting (left so maddeningly unexplained in the original) are painfully and meticulously spelled out in an ever-more-stupid story arc that would have made even Barney the Dinosaur snort in derision at its utter childishness. This movie is not smart, it's not scary .. it doesn't even manage to be funny. It comes across as more of an insult, a slap in the face to fans of the original book. The 1963 movie version captured the novel's atmosphere much better. This version doesn't so much trample Shirley Jackson's grave as dump syrup all over it. Utterly horrible.
But it has great production values. You needn't feel ashamed of watching it for that. It's a great LOOKING movie, and that's why I was generous enough to give it 2 stars. Definitely worth a rental if you have a few hours to kill and don't feel like thinking.
5 of 5 customers found the following review helpful:
Microwaved horror , 2008-08-04
Hollywood reheats a classic, but this cheap serving is hardly very appetizing. This remake throws some heavy morsels of CGI down your throat and will give you indigestion.
Same basic story, some people volunteer to stay in an extravagant mansion. This time they aren't told about the house's dark past. They believe they are part of a study on insomnia. The truth is they are part of a controlled experiment on group fear.
Now I thought this was a nice alteration to the story. But unfortunately it starts to get extremely ridiculous. Nothing subtle here, there are plenty of cheap scares--like ghostly images or moving statues. As it turns out this house is basically a holding cell for dead children's souls. The evil landlord's spirit keeps watch over them in this purgatory. Great, a perverted pedaphile ghost.
This turns into more of a goofy adventure flick. No spooky atmosphere or mystery. No suspense. No reason to bother.
Not bad, 2008-04-29
I bought this to replace the VHS version I had that had seen better days. This movie won't win any awards but as horror movies go it wasn't bad. It has a talented cast and I enjoy watching it from time to time.
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