The Haunting (1999)

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.

Director:

Jan de Bont

Writers:

David Self (screenplay), Shirley Jackson (novel)

Stars:

Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Owen Wilson

2 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

A remake of the classic 1963 movie "The Haunting" about a team of paranormal experts who look into strange occurrences in an ill-fated house. Through the course of the night some will unravel, some will question, and all will fight for their lives as the house fights back.

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Plot Keywords:

fear | mansion | experiment | haunting | insomnia | 

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Taglines:

Some houses are born bad

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense horror sequences

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 July 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Legend of Hill House

Filming Locations:

Belvoir Castle, Belvoir, Leicestershire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$80,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,562,169 (UK) (24 September 1999)

Gross:

£5,625,789 (UK) (29 October 1999)

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks SKG, Roth-Arnold Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX SDDS DTS-ES

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The creaks and moans heard throughout the house were pre-recorded and played during filming in order to get a more natural expression of fear out of the actors.

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Goofs

As Nell runs away and tries to hide in the carousel for the second time, the camera, in an above shot, passes behind a pillar. Just after that we see the reflection of equipment in one of the mirrors on the right side of the screen.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jane: You already owe two months worth of rent.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: It's mine, and you're not taking it away.
Jane: Read the will, Nell. It states in plain language, the executor shall have the right to dispose of any and all personal property, as he shall see fit.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: He's not even real family.
Jane: Yeah, maybe not, but clearly mother thought Lou would be better off dealing with these unpleasent details than you.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: [angrily] Unpleasent details? What have I been dealing with for the past eleven years? I've cooked, I've ...

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Crazy Credits

Hill House briefly appears in the blackness of the screen just before the title appears.

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Connections

Referenced in Film Club (2000)

User Reviews

A REAL Stinker!!

This movie is a remake of a truly horrifying and nightmare inducing 1963 film of the same name. Why Hollywood thinks that digital effects and campy acting is better than the imagination is beyond me. This film is so full of digital effects (none of which look real) and overacting that it cannot compare to the original film which starred Julie Harris and Claire Bloom. This film is just plain stupid. The original (in black and white) is still the scariest film I've ever seen (and I've seen them all). The original makes you use your imagination to fear the unseen - this remake doesn't allow you to do that and that is its biggest mistake.