The Haunting (1999)

User Rating:

4.6/10   

Director:

Jan de Bont

Writers (WGA):

David Self (screenplay)
Shirley Jackson (novel)

Release Date:

23 July 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller | Mystery

Tagline:

Some houses are born bad

Plot:

When Eleanor, Theo, and Luke decide to take part in a sleep study at a huge mansion they get more than they bargained for when Dr. Marrow tells them of the house's ghostly past.

Plot Keywords:

Fear | Mansion | Experiment | Insomnia | Haunting

Awards:

2 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Liam Neeson	...	Dr. David Marrow
Catherine Zeta-Jones	...	Theo
Owen Wilson	...	Luke Sanderson
Lili Taylor	...	Nell
Bruce Dern	...	Mr. Dudley
Marian Seldes	...	Mrs. Dudley
Alix Koromzay	...	Mary Lambetta
Todd Field	...	Todd Hackett
Virginia Madsen	...	Jane
Michael Cavanaugh	...	Dr. Malcolm Keogh
Tom Irwin	...	Lou
Charles Gunning	...	Hugh Crain
Saul Priever	...	Ritchie
M.C. Gainey	...	Large Man
Hadley Eure	...	Carolyn Crain

Also Known As:

La maldición (USA: Spanish title)
The Haunting of Hill House (USA) (trailer title)
The Legend of Hill House (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense horror sequences.

Runtime:

113 min | Switzerland:112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX | SDDS | DTS-ES

Certification:

Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #36806) | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Germany:12 (w) | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 | Philippines:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Belvoir Castle, Belvoir, Leicestershire, England, UK

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

Cinematographer Caleb Deschanel was originally attached to photograph the movie and even completed some of the filming, but dropped out due to creative differences.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Luke rushes to Theo's room to help them as they scream, Theo turns the lights on before she opens the door. However when they move to the bathroom to open Nell's door, there's no sign of Theo's bedroom lights.

Quotes:

Eleanor "Nell" Vance: Have you ever kept something for yourself because you were afraid?
Theo: All the time.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Directors: The Films of Wes Craven (#1.4)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

The Carousel

Made me wanna sleep

I thought after Speed 2, Jan de Bont had hit rock bottom. But the Haunting makes it look like a serious Oscar material. Basically, there's nothing really wrong with the film; the acting is OK, the effects are great but somehow it never gets interesting. Next time, when some studio is crazy enough to give Jan money, lets hope he makes a straight action movie. After all, that's what he does best..........................1