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

3 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:

There once was a house, a bright happy home. Then something bad happened, and now it sits all alone. These (pillars) are its bones. These (walls) are its skin. These (windows) are its eyes. WON'T YOU COME IN?

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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:

La maldición

Filming Locations:

Belvoir Castle, Belvoir, Leicestershire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$80,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$33,435,140, 25 July 1999, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$91,411,151

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$177,311,151

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks, 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 recorded and played during filming in order to get a more natural expression of fear out of the actors.

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Goofs

Eleanor falls asleep in a double bed, then wakes in a twin bed.

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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 ...

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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

An alternate ending was allegedly filmed where Hugh Crane's ghost comes out of the fire place and attacks Nell.

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Connections

Referenced in Raaz (2002)

User Reviews

House & Sound Highlight Otherwise-Horrible Film

At least up to when this came out in 1999, this was the most awesome-looking inside of a house I've ever seen on film. The sets (the mansion), the powerful and dramatic bass noise and the great special special effects were all a lot of fun to watch and hear.

That's the good news. The bad news is that the story is stupid, the picture too reddish at times, and Catherine Zeta-Jones' character saying "God" as an explanation over 20 times was very annoying, just to give one example.

If I can mute out Jones and ignore some of the other characters, this might be a movie to re-consider purchasing because of that awesome house and room- rocking sound effects.