before entering " the haunting " , it's important for the viewer to consider what kind of movie they're looking for . if it's a terrifying horror movie , look elsewhere . if it's a special effects extravaganza with fine acting and some of the best sets ever seen , this is the movie to see . it should also be noted that as a remake of the chilling original , the film is not quite up to par . if taken on its own merits however , this is a rather fun , brainless summer movie . dr . david marrow is a professor whose speciality is fear . taking a group of subjects consisting of the timid eleanor ; the perky , gorgeous theo , and the goofy owen , he travels to hill house . hill house is a tremendous mansion in the middle of nowhere which has a rather checkered past ( i don't want to say more , as further explanation would be a spoiler ) . dr . marrow does not , however , tell the group that they are there to examine the effects of fear . they are supposedly there to cure the insomnia experienced by the group . upon reaching the house , it slowly dawns on the three , and eventually on dr . marrow , that the house is indeed haunted , and out for their blood . the house seems to take a special interest in eleanor . as the nights go by , the house becomes more and more dangerous . i was rather disappointed at the bad reviews this recieved ( except from the always reliable roger ebert ) . so many critics seemed to grade this based entirely on how it compared to the original . if viewed on its own merits , i found this to be quite an enjoyable film . the acting is quite good , although the characters really are underwritten . the standout in my opinion is liam neeson , but i've always been a fan of his . the one person i was not so impressed by was lili taylor , though she seems to be receiving all the praise from other critics . owen wilson does get a little annoying at times , but for the most part he adds some neccesary comic relief . the greatest part of this film is amazingly not the visuals , though they are impressive . it is the house itself , that steals the show . filled with long , dark corridors which seem to lead to nowhere , and are filled with chilling ( and sometimes moving ! ) statues , the house is truly awe inspiring . the fireplace , and its possible denizens , is one of the few truly frightening parts of the film . this brings us to the flaws , and there are quite a few of them . as i mentioned before , the characters are very underwritten . we know nothing about dr . marrow , theo , or owen , and very little about eleanor . the dialagoue is , at times , positively abysmal . for example , liam neeson climbs a very rickety flight of stairs to help an apparently suicidal eleanor . the stairs collapse , all over the place , and owen points at them , open mouthed saying " look , the stairs are falling . " my only other really major complaint is the film's end , which was really quite terrible . eleanor confronts the evil spirit in a huge ( but strangely disappointing ) special effects event , while spouting out some sort of strange speech about family values ! as i stated earlier , do not see this film if you want a terrifying horror movie . it simply doesn't inspire much fear . however , i do reccomend it simply to see the amazing , bone chilling sets . for this , some fine visual effects , and some good acting , " the haunting " earns three and a half stars . * * * * * - one of the greatest movies ever made , see it now . * * * * - great flick . try and catch this one . * * * - okay movie , hits and misses . * * - pretty bad . see it if you've got nothing better to do . * - one of the worst movies ever . see it only if you enjoy pain . e-mail with comments at : <a href= " mailto : jabii@aol . com " >jabii@aol . com</a> 
