Synopsis
Dr. David Marrow invites three distinct individuals to the eerie and isolated Hill House to be subjects for a sleep disorder study. The unfortunate guests discover that Marrow is far more interested in the sinister mansion itself — and they soon see the true nature of its horror.
Your Movie Library
Cast
- Liam NeesonDr. David Marrow
- Lili TaylorEleanor ‘Nell’ Vance
- Catherine Zeta-JonesTheodora
- Owen WilsonLuke Sanderson
- Bruce DernMr. Dudley
- Marian SeldesMrs. Dudley
- Alix KoromzayMary Lambetta
- Todd FieldTodd Hackett
- Virginia MadsenJane
- Michael CavanaughDr. Malcolm Keogh
Recommendations
- 75
Chicago Sun-Times
The story is a mess, but for long periods of time that hardly matters. It's beside the point, as we enter one of the most striking spaces I've ever seen in a film. - 63
Christian Science Monitor
The Haunting can't quite decide whether it's an out-and-out thriller, a psychological drama, or a systematic demonstration of the latest computer-generated effects. But it should attract big crowds for a weekend or two on the strength of its attractive stars and deliciously spooky setting. - 50
San Francisco Examiner
De Bont's effects-riddled remake of the '63 spook-out adaptation of Shirley Jackson's novel is not nearly as creepy as either its cinematic or its literary precedents. But it's a hokey, hokey entertainment and a $100 million Lili Taylor movie. - 50
Washington Post
Eugenio Zanetti's set design is wonderful. But the movie isn't enough to make people check the shadows when they leave the theater. - 42
The A.V. Club
You can buy the special effects, but if that's all you have to offer, it won't amount to much. - 40
Newsweek
The more the computer-generated images take over, the sillier The Haunting gets. By the end, the computers have chased all the scares away. - 40
Total Film
The fairytale-like teaser trailer for this latest interpretation of The Haunting was so seductively eerie that you couldn't be blamed for becoming excited. Alas, the movie itself doesn't deliver on this promise: it's neither eerie nor seductive - in fact, it's a sore disappointment. - 38
ReelViews
This film makes the common mistake of showing in great detail things that would be more terrifying if left to the imagination. As a result, the only thing disturbing about The Haunting is how discouraging the end product is.
