# Haunting, The (1999)

### reviewed by
Bob Bloom

The Haunting (1999) 1/2 star out of 4. Starring Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Owen Wilson and Lili Taylor. Directed by Jan De Bont.

"The Haunting" the original, 1963 Robert Wise-directed version is one of the scariest films in the history of cinema.

And it follows the precepts of two old grand masters of the horror genre Boris Karloff and Vincent Price. Both said on more than one occasion that the most frightening terror was not what was put on screen, but what the audience conjured up in its own imagination.

That was where Wise's "Haunting" succeeded so brilliantly. Everything happened just out of sight. You heard noises, but never saw anything, or something flashed by so quickly you weren't sure what you saw.

The same cannot be said for a very lame remake of "The Haunting" released by DreamWorks. It is about as scary as a haunted house ride at a kiddie park.

At a screening of the movie, audience members laughed during scenes that were supposed to make them scream.

Everything in this new version of "The Haunting" is bigger, especially the house, the sets and the special effects. It looks like more money was poured into these than into financing an adequate script.

Calling the screenplay for "The Haunting" mediocre gives it more credit than it is due.

"The Haunting" is a dud, a big disappointment, a letdown. It reeks of cynicism.

And I'm angry because Hollywood in its infinite idiocy has once again taken a classic and tried to "improve" on it not through the story but by using bells and whistles. I curse movie executives who continually underestimate, condescend and show utter contempt for moviegoers by releasing crap such as "The Haunting." Their penalty should be an eternity in purgatory with continuous showings of this abomination coupled with the remake of "The Wild Wild West."

You could get more chills standing in front of an open refrigerator than by watching "The Haunting."

In the original, a scientist invited a group of test subjects most of whom had paranormal powers such as ESP to spend time with him in an evil, old house. The doctor wanted to prove that ghosts and evil spirits did exist. Those who joined him knew from the outset what they were in for.

In this remake, a scientist (Liam Neeson, in a very weak role) invites three people to join him in a spooky old castle ostensibly to study insomnia, but in reality, he is conducting experiments in fear. Of course, he fails to let his subjects know what he's doing, but, hey, I guess scientists today also have seen a sharp decline in ethics.

So tagging along with Neeson are Lili Taylor's Eleanor, who is a bit off-kilter after spending the past 11 years caring for her demanding invalid mother; Catherine Zeta-Jones' Theo, a bisexual artist; and Owen Wilson's Luke, a wise-cracking cynic.

It's not even worth the time or effort to go into the specifics of the plot.

Let's just say there's a gratuitous decapitation inserted solely for shock value; a ghost who's about as scary as Casper; and a silly looking haunted house that can pass as a refugee from a Scooby-Doo cartoon.

The interior of the house looks as if it were decorated by the same people who did the Nostromo in "Alien."

Director Jan De Bont, the man who gave us "Speed" and "Twister," seems to be in a slump. Prior to this he directed the dreadful sequel "Speed 2: Cruise Control." Perhaps the three-strikes law should be applied to movie directors. If so, De Bont would be a prime candidate.

"The Haunting" is dull, dreadful and plodding. It's about as scary as "Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla." The only thing scarier would be if DreamWorks decides to do a sequel.

Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, IN. He can be reached by e-mail at bloom@journal-courier.com or at cbloom@iquest.net.

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