The Haunting (1999) Lili Taylor, Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Owen Wilson. Music by Jerry Goldsmith. Screenplay by David Self, based on the novel "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson. Produced by Susan Arnold, Donna Roth and Colin Wilson. Directed by Jan De Bont. 112 minutes. PG-13, 1.5 stars (out of five stars)
Review by Ed Johnson-Ott, NUVO Newsweekly www.nuvo-online.com Archive reviews at http://us.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Edward+Johnson-ott To receive reviews by e-mail at no charge, send subscription requests to pbbp24a@prodigy.com
If "The Haunting" was trimmed down to 40 minutes and presented in 3-D as an IMAX feature, it might serve as a passable diversion. In its present form, the production is merely a flat, draggy exercise in cheesy special effects and grandiose art direction palming itself off as a horror movie. "The Haunting" is not scary, not in the least. Although technically an adaptation of Shirley Jackson's novel, "The Haunting of Hill House," the plot of the film is almost as insubstantial as the spirits within it. In fact, the whole thing plays far more like an amusement park spook-house ride than a real movie. The producers would be better served by cutting a deal with Disney World, installing a tram on the sets and billing the whole thing as "The Haunted Mansion: Version 2.0."
"The Haunting" is just another sad example of the "more-is-better" school of filmmaking, with Jan "Oh my God, it's the guy who directed 'Speed 2!'" De Bont at the helm. While wasting 112 precious, irreplaceable minutes of my life on this leaden dud, I repeatedly thought of "The Blair Witch Project," a genuinely creepy, disquieting film produced for less money than "The Haunting" spent on catered lunches for the crew. Didn't anyone at Dreamworks notice that their $80 million horror show wasn't the slightest bit horrifying? Apparently not, for while the studio did sent De Bont back for some last minute reshoots, it was only to "clarify the ending."
The film starts off in standard haunted-house movie fashion, introducing the characters and giving viewers a tour of Spook Central. Liam Neeson plays a doctor who lures three subjects to a massive, gothic mansion in New England, under the pretense of conducting a study of sleep disorders. Actually, he is researching the "primordial fear reaction" and intends to plant disturbing ideas in his subjects and watch what happens. The nitwits who believe that a sleep study would be conducted in a mammoth, isolated house are Eleanor (Lili Taylor), a mousy caregiver; Theodora (Catherine Zeta Jones), an extremely self-assured bisexual; and Luke (Owen Wilson), a wise-cracking slacker.
But forget the characters (De Bont certainly did), for the real star is the house itself, an absurdly huge estate packed with gigantic creaking doors, cavernous hallways, wildly ornate chambers (including a mirrored carousel room), and loads of cherub carvings, gargoyles and other weird knickknacks. The sets are impressive, but never for a moment do they seem like anything but over-the-top eye candy.
There lies the problem with the whole movie. Nothing feels the least bit convincing, from the idiotic premise to the phony-looking house to the cornball special effects (try, just try, not to laugh as the wooden cherubs' faces morph into "Oh no!" expressions worthy of "Mr. Bill"). Ghost stories work only if the audience is drawn into the tale, and De Bont has no clue how to accomplish that. Instead of vicariously experiencing terror in a haunted house, we remain bored spectators, watching talented actors swallowed by De Bont's blustery spook-tacular. "The Haunting" promises thrills and chills, but delivers only yawns. What a colossal drag.
© 1999 Ed Johnson-Ott
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