Greetings,
Remakes. What the heck with remakes? I seem to recall doing an entire post about this less than stellar phenomenon, one I still do not understand. And the reason why I don't get it is because, much more often than not, the people in Hollywood make the genius decision to take a movie that is already good, sometimes near perfect, and wrongly think that they can improve upon it. Yes, they really did a lot to make better films like Psycho or House of Wax or, today's target, 1999's The Haunting.
This movie was based on the 1963 film of the same name. Now I may, one day, do a review of that, so I don't plan on saying too much, though I may have to bring up some comparisons. It's almost necessary. I can begin by saying that the original The Haunting is pretty much brilliant. It's not so much a horror movie as it is a psychological thriller. It's all about Dr. Markway (Richard Johnson) taking three people to a house that is believed to be haunted. No kidding. He chooses people who are in some way connected to the paranormal. First, there's Theo (Claire Bloom) who is a psychic, and Luke (Russ Tamblyn), the heir to who currently owns the house and a skeptic. But who we focus most on here is Eleanor, or Nell (Julie Harris). She is a timid woman who has spent years caring for her invalid mother and doesn't really understand why she was chosen for this. As the story continues, we begin to see Nell mentally unraveling, but also beginning to feel strangely comfortable in the house. As the audience, we start to wonder if the haunting referred to in the title is less about the house and more about Nell and her personal demons. And for most of the movie, you don't know if it's all ghosts or just her. All of this gives the film a depth and complexity that one normally doesn't find in a supposed horror movie. There is this incredible subtlety to everything that happens, as to make you think about all the events you are witnessing.
When it comes to the technical aspects of The Haunting, it's just a wonderfully made film. Robert Wise was the director, so, obviously, you're probably not going to be disappointed. He did an amazing job at making every little thing count. The sets were perfect, especially the house they got for the exteriors. You feel uneasy just looking at it. And the most important thing is that it was filmed in black and white. Robert Wise even had it put into the contract that it had to be filmed that way, and he was very right. I try to imagine what this movie would have looked like in color, and it just wouldn't have worked.
Bottom line is that this is a brilliant piece of cinema that should be seen by everyone. It was so brilliant that thirty-something years later, someone decided that they could make it better because they had computer stuff and whatnot. Yeah, no. And so that brings us to the remake of The Haunting. Oh, dear. And, again, major, major spoilers ahead.
So this movie was made in 1999, directed by Jan de Bont. Yeah, that's a mixed bag on that one. I mean, sure, he directed Speed, but he also directed Speed 2. So, yeah. It stars Liam Neeson as Dr. Marrow, Lili Taylor as Eleanor/Nell, Catherine Zeta-Jones as Theo and Owen Wilson as Luke. Not a bad cast. They would have been even better if they had something substantial to work with, but whatever.
Now this remake has several differences from the original, starting with the reason why the doctor brought them to the house. He claims to be doing a study on insomnia, which is what he will be telling his subjects, but it's really a study in fear. I don't really get that change. Plus, it strikes me as something that might be, if not illegal, certainly unethical. Oh, well. Hippocratic oath, schmippocratic oath. Am I right? Anyway, we eventually meet all our characters, starting with Eleanor. In this version, she is also a woman who was taking care of her sick mother, but, though she's not the most outgoing person, she doesn't seem nearly as timid or shy as the original. Then, we get our Luke, who is in no way related to anyone having to do with the house. Nope, he's just some kind of irritating guy, who may or may not be a little high. Or, perhaps, that's just Owen Wilson. And, finally, there's Theo. Hey, remember how I mentioned the subtle way things were handled in the first movie? Not here, and certainly not with Theo. In the original, they simply and barely implied that she might be a lesbian or bisexual, probably because, back then, they couldn't have non-heterosexual characters in films as easily as they do today. In the remake, we are reminded of her sexuality with pretty much every line she says and every action she shows. I mean, look, it's fine if being bisexual is a character trait, but it kind of became her only character trait, and that's not what this film was supposed to be about. Moving on.
So they all get to the house, including two of Dr. Marrow's (don't get attached)assistants, and before they go to bed, he tells them the story of the house's original owner, Hugh Crain and his wife, Renee. They wanted kids, but never got to have any, due to the fact that they all died at birth. This caused Renee to kill herself and Crain to become a recluse. Um, nighty-night, everyone? Oh, wait, no. Before they actually go to bed, we see a piano unwind one of its wires and attack one of the assistants causing both of them to have to leave. So, I guess the mystery of whether or not the house is really haunted has been taken care of. Don't get me wrong, though. I would have been quite happy if all the effects in this thing were as practical looking as that first one. That is not what happens. More on that later.
And then, off to bed with everyone, including the doctor, because he's ... not doing any scientific studies on their sleep/fear? Seriously, wouldn't his whole thing, no matter which it is, require him to do some observation, maybe take some notes? I don't know. During the night, Eleanor and Theo are woken up by some banging in the walls. Everyone gathers in the kitchen where Luke suggests it might be noise from the old pipes. They all think that could have been the explanation. Well, THEY think that. WE don't, because we already know the place is officially haunted. Remember, piano incident? Actually, the whole 'noise in the walls' scene was done fairly well, but then we get to our next 'scary' scene, or as I call it, the "Welcome to the Movie, CGI. You're Never Gonna Leave, Are You?" I'm not kidding. The film becomes like seventy percent CGI after this point, though I might be being kind about that.
First, Eleanor starts seeing these little ghost children under her sheets, which doesn't freak her out all that much for some reason. It would freak me out, but I don't like kids, really, so that could be it. Then, the house starts to pull the big time scaries by making mean faces at her. No lie. The room she is in scrunches up and turns into a mean face. What the heck? Now, one thing that was the same in both films was Eleanor starting to pretty much fall in love with the house, but in the first movie, it's presented as being creepy and kind of disturbing, which it was. Here, it's almost painted as delightful and comforting and, dare I say it, whimsical. No, movie, it is not any of those things. It's creepy. But that's just the start, because soon everyone finds Eleanor in this little room she discovered in the house. It is apparently the room where a baby was born to Hugh Crain's second wife, Carolyn. Wait, who? Oh, but we're done yet. Eleanor informs everyone that SHE is, in fact, Carolyn's and Crain's great, great granddaughter. She says that Crain stole children from the mills, murdered them and burned them in the fireplace so that they'd have to stay in the house with him forever, and she is the only one who can help the children pass on. WHAT! This makes no sense! Certainly not in context of the original story. And...help them pass on? You are not Jennifer Love Hewitt, woman! But, wait, there's more!
They all try to run out, but the house locks them in. Which brings us to the most hilariously awesome scene in the film. I'll just say it involves Owen Wilson and the giant fireplace. Perhaps, you've heard of this. There's got to be a clip of it somewhere, and I suggest you find it. Anyway, it ends with Eleanor facing the ghost of Crain, spouting off all this nonsense that it's about family, calling him 'Grandpa', no less and some crap, then she defeats him with the power of love or some crap and goes to Heaven or wherever with the spirits of the children. Again, WHAT! And everyone who survived leaves. The end.
Hey, movie..BITE ME!
Yeah, I just can't with this thing. Seriously, if you look up any top ten list of the worst remakes ever, chances are, you'll find this one there. It's pretty bad. Forget the fact that the people who made it were arrogant enough to think they could improve upon the brilliance of the original because they had computers and stuff, but even as a standalone, it's not very good either. It's too much and not enough. So, if you want to watch a good movie called The Haunting, hustle yourself back to 1963. If you want a movie called The Haunting for bad movie night, this one can probably be added to your list.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
