The Haunting
Despite some significant star power, this flick is something of a disappointment. This is a remake, but never having seen the original, I can't truly say if it is better or not. But if it is, the original must have really stunk.
Superficially similar in concept to The House on Haunted Hill (people trying to survive a night in a haunted house), this film just doesn't deliver the chills. There are a few potential scenes where it almost makes it, such as the faces on the headboard coming alive, or the bed attacking one of the female stars. But it almost always loses me because they hit you over the head with it. A bit more subtlety, and bit less hard definition, would have gone a long way towards letting the audience imagination take over. It really goes overboard with the knocking on the walls... or rather the HUGE POUNDING! Personally, a little scratching or tapping where there shouldn't be any is sufficient to generate a lot of chills.
One scene in particular was so blatantly done that the audience actually laughed at a point that was meant to be horrible. I'm not giving anything away when I reveal that the fireplace eats someone's head. Another laugh-provoking scene involved a stone fountain trying to drown the lead male actor as the water supposedly turns to blood... or is that red food coloring?
If you want to laugh AT a movie, go ahead and rent this one, if for no other reason than to see big stars acting silly.
