The remake of "House on Haunted Hill" isn't going to win any awards, but it sure is a blast. This is mostly a funhouse show, so don't expect anything particularly scary, though it does manage a few jumps and creepy scenes here and there.
The story - very, very loosely adapted from the Vincent Price starring original - concerns wealthy, amusement park designer Stephen Price and his wife, Evelyn. The couple utterly despise each other, but instead of getting divorced like normal people do they've decided to make each other's lives as miserable as possible until one of them can work out, how shall we say, other means of ending the relationship.
So how does a house on a hill which is haunted work it's way into the story? Glad you asked. This is the location Evelyn has chosen for her birthday party; an abandoned mansion that was once an insane asylum. She and Stephen arrive the night of the party to find a room full of guests no one seems to have invited. From here on out things go from bad to deadly. Scheming plots come to light, as well as plots within those plots, all the while something else is happening in the house that no one was counting on.
While the whole cast does good work here, it's really Geoffrey Rush and Famke Jannsen as Stephen and Evelyn Price who are having the most fun with the film. Rush, known for so many serious, dramatic roles, is joyfully chewing up the scenery like it were a bag of Lays he can't eat just one of while Jannsen goes evil, hate-filled, gold-digger times ten.
Really, the film only falters at the end when the evil spirit of the house is revealed as a truly terrible bit of CGI. It certainly doesn't ruin the film because you're not meant to take anything here very seriously to begin with. But it's definitely bad. That misstep aside, this is a fun horror film perfect for Halloween viewing.
So how does a house on a hill which is haunted work it's way into the story? Glad you asked. This is the location Evelyn has chosen for her birthday party; an abandoned mansion that was once an insane asylum. She and Stephen arrive the night of the party to find a room full of guests no one seems to have invited. From here on out things go from bad to deadly. Scheming plots come to light, as well as plots within those plots, all the while something else is happening in the house that no one was counting on.
While the whole cast does good work here, it's really Geoffrey Rush and Famke Jannsen as Stephen and Evelyn Price who are having the most fun with the film. Rush, known for so many serious, dramatic roles, is joyfully chewing up the scenery like it were a bag of Lays he can't eat just one of while Jannsen goes evil, hate-filled, gold-digger times ten.
Really, the film only falters at the end when the evil spirit of the house is revealed as a truly terrible bit of CGI. It certainly doesn't ruin the film because you're not meant to take anything here very seriously to begin with. But it's definitely bad. That misstep aside, this is a fun horror film perfect for Halloween viewing.
And now, a haunted house film done badly.
I tried to imagine the studio meeting that must have taken place as the "The Haunting" was being developed.
Studio Exec: So we're going to remake "The Haunting." This film is based on the literary classic "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson, and it's been filmed once before resulting in one of the most effective and subtle psychologically driven ghost stories ever made. So. Who should we get to direct it?
Studio Lackey: Hey, how about that guy that made "Speed" and "Twister"?
Studio Exec: "Perfect!"
Wow! This movie is so bad. Terrible script, terribly over the top CGI, and badly directed. The only thing it had going for it was a pretty solid cast and even they look lost most of the time.
I remember hating this movie when it came out in 1999, so I don't know why I decided to give it another chance. But I did. Mistake. Avoid this movie.
Or better yet, check out the Robert Wise directed original.
Or better yet, check out the Robert Wise directed original.
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