The Haunting (1999)

A study in fear escalates into a heart-stopping nightmare for a professor and three subjects trapped in a mysterious mansion.

Director:

Jan de Bont

Writers:

David Self (screenplay), Shirley Jackson (novel)

Stars:

Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Owen Wilson

4 wins & 14 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:

haunted house | mansion | insomniac | horror movie remake | old house | 

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Taglines:

Ghosts with the most.

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense horror sequences

Did You Know?

Trivia

The official Spanish title for the film is "The Haunting (La Guarida)". Translated to English, it would be "The Haunting (The Lair)".

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Goofs

(at around 45 mins) When Nell is sitting in the main room filling out tests, in the near shot she puts a test down, picks up a new one up, and begins to fill it out. In the wide shot, she picks the same test back up and begins to fill it out again.

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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 unpleasant details than you.
Eleanor "Nell" Vance: [angrily] Unpleasant details? What have I been dealing with for the past eleven years? I've cooked, I've cleaned, ...

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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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Alternate Versions

The trailer features two little scenes which were not used in the final film. In the first scene, which was probably cut from the sequence where Eleanor and Theo go through the house for the first time, they find a door, which they open, only to find a brick wall. The second scene is a piece of dialogue between Eleanor and Theo. Eleanor asks "Have you ever kept something to yourself because you were afraid?" to which Theo answers "All the time."

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Connections

Referenced in Scary Movie 2 (2001)

User Reviews

Creepy, but could've been creepier.

The Haunting is a film that boasts a really creepy house, good effects work and sound work, a cast that seems to believe that everything around them is real and that house. There are scenes that make you jump, and the sinister aspects of what went on at Hill House in the past, I found interesting. There are genuinely creepy moments in the film and I liked the way the ghosts manifested themselves in sheets, curtains and the house itself. Jerry Goldsmith's score gave it the right atmosphere and the sound design had voices popping up around you. What I wish could've happened is for something a little more intense. Jan De Bont had a PG-13 rating to contend with and I think that he held back a little too much. Poltergeist scared me silly when I saw it many years ago, and it still holds up. The Haunting could've used a few more scenes of pure terror. The ending was for me, a little anticlimactic. Overall, I enjoyed it. The acting is good and there are moments that make you jump. I just wish it scared me more.

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 July 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Haunting of Hill House

Filming Locations:

Manhattan Beach, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$80,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$33,435,140, 25 July 1999

Gross USA:

$91,411,151

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$177,311,151

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dreamworks Pictures, Roth-Arnold Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX SDDS DTS-ES

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1