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The online film magazine Combustible Celluloid offers new movie reviews, DVD reviews, film reviews, actor interviews, actress interviews, director interviews, film books and all things cinema related for the thoughtful and passionate. Online for ten years! Over 3000 reviews!

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The Haunting (1999)

Rating: 2 Stars (out of 4)

House of Lames

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Buy The Haunting on DVD

This new adaptation of the Shirley Jackson novel has Lili Taylor, Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Owen Wilson (Bottle Rocket) spending the night in a haunted house. The house is a masterwork of set design, and there are two or three moments of actual terror. But the story and dialogue, written by David Self, are dumbed down and several potential scares are ruined by bad shooting and cutting. Furthermore, director Jan De Bont tries to impress us with an increasing onslaught of special effects, but forgets that we really just want to be scared. Still, it's better than I Still Know What You Did Last Summer.

Starring: Lili Taylor, Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta Jones, Owen Wilson, Bruce Dern, Marian Seldes, Alix Koromzay, Todd Field, Virginia Madsen
Written by: David Self, based on the novel by Shirley Jackson
Directed by: Jan de Bont
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense horror sequences
Running Time: 113 minutes
Date: July 23, 1999