“I’m not staying in this freaking house another second, so come on.”
Luke- The Haunting (1999)
William Castle’s 1959 classic House on Haunted Hill is one of my favorite horror films. When the remake was released, I shrugged it off as another Hollywood cash grab. I haven’t thought much about it since it’s the initial release, so when someone suggested I rewatch it, I decided to give it another chance.
The casting is phenomenal, and it’s hard to believe that Geoffrey Rush wasn’t tapped to play more Vincent Price-esq roles. Rush stars as Stephen Price (an obvious homage to Vincent Price). Price is an eccentric millionaire who is a master of illusions. Despite the terrific cast, the performances are lifeless. Rush does his best, but unfortunately, the script is terrible too.
Much like House of Wax, the film starts with a long drawn out prologue. The run time is short, and instead of giving us the necessary back story on the guests of the night, they spend the time explaining the evil in the house. Why? An unknown evil is much scarier than defined evil.
The direction of the film isn’t great, but there are some scary moments. There is a scene where Ali Larter and Taye Diggs get split up, and she’s accosted by something in a vat of blood. The problem is these moments seem few and far between. The script continually puts the cast in ridiculous positions, and the best characters aren’t allowed to shine.
The most annoying thing about this catastrophe of a film is the special effects. The tacky CGI is done so poorly it undercuts any tension or fear. The idea of making a giant black mist the big bad is pure 90s and pure meh. The original leaves you unsure of what is real and what is a trick by the host. This film doesn’t ever try to be the least bit ambiguous.
I would never recommend watching this movie. There is very little that I would consider redeemable. Even though the cast is excellent, the script doesn’t give them enough to work with. The CGI and direction are so severely lacking that you’ll want to turn the movie off. Do yourself a favor and watch the original.
