A group of insomniacs do their best to put viewers to sleep in 'The Haunting', a truly disappointing attempt at a horror film. Eleanor (or Nell) lives a boring life and has for years, taking care of her ill mother. Now that the mother has passed away, she's having trouble sleeping so when she see's an ad for a sleep study on insomniacs, she jumps at the opportunity. She and two others (along with the head of the study) have to spend a few days inside a creepy old mansion in which it's deceased owner (Hugh Crane) was a sadistic creepy guy who loved children. Each night some strange stuff happens; loud noises, ghosts climbing into bed with Nell, that sort of stuff. The group discovers the secret behind Crane and the children who died there, leading to an odd ending in which Nell feels compelled to stay in the haunted house forever.
'The Haunting' has got to be the most non scary horror film out there, when it really shouldn't be. It had a huge budget, a large creepy old house, a decent story had it been told better... but at the end of the day is just not scary or even remotely terrifying at all. The "scares" are few and far between, and when a ghost does appear they aren't eerie to watch. Most of the ghosts are the dead children from years ago, but they are nice ghosts and try to help Nell. The main villain Hugh Crane is not scary or intimidating at all, even when he finally appears it falls so flat. And one of the most disappointing things about this remake is that it does not use the huge mansion to it's advantage. The noises that we hear late at night are not well done at all, and the actors do not react in an appropriate way to the "scares".
I thought Lili Taylor put in a very weak performance as the lead Eleanor. Some of the acting choices she made during the "scary" moments feel flat and felt forced from on her part. Liam Neeson hammed it up for the cameras and seemed out of place in this. Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luke Wilson however did good jobs in the supporting roles. Overall 'The Haunting' remake is a failure. Stick to the original 1962 film, it was much better.
4/10
'The Haunting' has got to be the most non scary horror film out there, when it really shouldn't be. It had a huge budget, a large creepy old house, a decent story had it been told better... but at the end of the day is just not scary or even remotely terrifying at all. The "scares" are few and far between, and when a ghost does appear they aren't eerie to watch. Most of the ghosts are the dead children from years ago, but they are nice ghosts and try to help Nell. The main villain Hugh Crane is not scary or intimidating at all, even when he finally appears it falls so flat. And one of the most disappointing things about this remake is that it does not use the huge mansion to it's advantage. The noises that we hear late at night are not well done at all, and the actors do not react in an appropriate way to the "scares".
I thought Lili Taylor put in a very weak performance as the lead Eleanor. Some of the acting choices she made during the "scary" moments feel flat and felt forced from on her part. Liam Neeson hammed it up for the cameras and seemed out of place in this. Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luke Wilson however did good jobs in the supporting roles. Overall 'The Haunting' remake is a failure. Stick to the original 1962 film, it was much better.
4/10