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 "The
Daunting" by Scott Mantz
"The Haunting"
Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lili Taylor
Directed by Jan De Bont
The scariest
thing about "The Haunting" was realizing that I shelled out $8.50
of my hard-earned cash to see it. Even though it's supposed to be
a summertime, special effects-laden film (in other words, the kind
where you leave your sensibilities at the door), this movie is so
bad, it's almost unwatchable. While it contains a few jump-in-your-seat-scares,
it degenerates into a special effects circus ride--the kind where
you want to get off. Weighted down by a bad script, slow pace, and
lame characters, "The Haunting" simply doesn't make any sense.
Loosely based
on the 1959 Shirley Jackson novel "The Haunting of Hill House" and
the 1963 Robert Wise film it inspired, this version carries none
of the psychological spookiness of those efforts. Jan De Bont, the
man behind "Twister" and "Speed", directs his movies with such hyper-kinetic
intensity that you don't realize how bad they are. (OK, maybe we
realized how bad "Speed 2" was.). Where the action in those films
covered up its flaws by keeping its heroes on the run, this time
it takes place in one location. By being confined, De Bont over-compensates
on the production values and special effects. The CGI effects, although
impressive, don't offer much in terms of suspense.
Eleanor (Lili
Taylor), in a fragile state having just lost her mother, is an insomniac
who responds to an ad placed by scientist David Marrow (Liam Neeson)
looking to perform tests on people with sleep disorders. She arrives
at the old house where the tests will take place and meets fellow
insomniacs Theo (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a stylishly dressed bisexual,
and Luke (Owen Wilson), a ski bum a long way from the slopes. What
they don't realize is that they are really test subjects in a study
of fear.
They spend the
first night exploring the house and getting to know its history.
The original owner, Hugh McCrain, wanted to fill the house with
the laughter of happy children. When his children from his first
wife died at birth, he became so bitter that he kidnapped the children
that worked at his textile mill. These kids died and are still occupying
the house, trapped by the spirit of McCrain. Its up to Eleanor,
who has a kinship with the old house, to set the spirits free.
It's hard to
feel sympathy for these characters. They should have been out of
there at the first sign of trouble. Why would a study of insomnia
take place at an old house in the middle of nowhere? When Marrow
confesses to his subjects the true nature of his experiment, they
should have stuck together for the duration of the night. Instead
they wander back to their cavernous and creepy rooms-alone--to try
to get some sleep. Where's the logic in that?
Lili Taylor
and Liam Neeson are accomplished actors who do nothing more than
gawk as the events unspool in the big place. The awesomeness of
the house and the special effects dwarf the actor's performances,
and good special effects can't make up for the rest of the film.
Today's technology is so advanced to you expect effects to be top
of the line, and you only notice when they're not.
What we're left
with is a haunted house film that isn't scary at all. By showing
you so much, there is nothing left to sit with the imagination.
It's almost as if they tried to base a serious movie on "The Haunted
Mansion" ride from Disneyland instead of the 1959 novel. For a good
fright, go rent "The Shining". Or better yet, check out "The Blair
Witch Project". The cost of that film may be less than the catering
bill for "The Haunting", but the genuine fright lies in what that
film doesn't show you. Or maybe De Bont should have set the film
on a haunted bus to keep things moving.
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