The Haunting is a remake of the 1963 film of the same name and is also based off the widely acclaimed novel The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. The story begins with Elanor Vance, a woman down on her luck and about to loose her childhood home. In her desperation for money she joins a sleep study program for insomniacs that seems to pay handsomely. She travels to Hill House where the studies are to be held.
The study gets underway. Each evening, right before it turns dark, the grounds keeper chains and locks the gate trapping the group inside until morning. As night comes some strange elements begin to creep up around and about the house. Horrible groaning sounds and cold chills begin to make the participants frightened. But, unknown to the doctor, there is much more to this house than anyone realizes. The ghosts of the house want them--especially Elanor--to remain in the mansion forever.
But The Haunting has its merit. It takes a good long stretch of the film to build up to the darker and more frightening parts. This allows the film to establish a specific mood that evokes creepiness from the mansion. However, this also makes the first thirty minutes of the film really drag. Much of the script ends up having this effect. It feels very uneven and lacks the flow of better films.
Much of the acting seems to fit in fairly well for what the script provided. All of the actors are well-known and established in their careers. So there is very little disappointment in that area. But the biggest hit against this film is the use of CGI. There is a lot of it and it looks fairly cheesy. They would have been much better off using practical effects instead. The use of CGI and the way the climax is played makes the film feel more like a fantasy style film rather than a horror film. But for many conservative audiences this isn't a bad thing.
Summing it Up
Deaths: 2
Language: 2
Gore Factor: 3
Sex Factor: 1
Scare Factor: 2
Fun Factor: 4
Overall Rating: 3