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"The Haunting" directed by Robert Wise
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Topic: "The Haunting" directed by Robert Wise
Ron Pulliam
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I bought the DVD of "The Haunting" never having watched the film straight through on VHS tape, although I've had the tape for years.I bought the DVD because of the commentary featuring Wise, his screenwriter, and all four stars -- Julie Harris, Richard Johnson, Claire Bloom and Russ Tamblyn.
This is what commentary work OUGHT to be like, IMO.
I did watch the film straight through -- and learned quickly enough why it was I'd never managed to do it with the VHS tape. Actor Richard Johnson has a lot of dialogue, and his voice is low and droning, and he puts me right to sleep!
I'm not faulting him for that...his performance is good enough! He just has one of those voices that send me to dreamland.
Wise crafted a wonderful, intelligent and eerie film. I cannot say it truly "scares" me any more than I can say any film has ever "scared" me. I get creeped out sometimes, but I guess it takes a lot to scare me.
Wise credits composer Humphrey Searle (??ever heard of HIM??) for the atmospheric, well-spotted music cues throughout the film. And they are just that...very well-spotted and very effective.
The film with the commentary is fairly riveting (since I don't have to hear Johnson's voice) and Wise goes into the particulars of how they accomplished various shots that were original to this film, including a lens they used to photograph hallway scenes.
I recommend the DVD to anyone who loves both the genre (horror), great acting and superb filmmaking coupled with a terrific commentary.
posted 08-26-2003 01:42 PM PT (US) Dylan
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I believe that this is the greatest horror film of all-time, and certainly my personal favorite horror film as well. It is a very beautifully written, artistic, and scary film. I just love Russ Tamblyn's final piece of dialogue that closes the film (in fact, there are many wonderful lines in this film, as I said, beautifully written). Great music score as well.I'm greatly looking forward to getting the DVD, but it will unfortunately be a long while before I get around to it.
Best Regards,
Dylan"Maybe, just maybe, the key to another world."
posted 08-26-2003 03:57 PM PT (US) DavidOC
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This IS a great film and it only gets better after watching the despicable remake. Wise and DeBont are poles apart in terms of their filmmaking skill - DeBont is absolutely clueless about how to extract fear through suspense or genuine chills or any other means. It's offensive that the clowns who made this film thought they could throw millions upon millions at the mercy of the production designers and expect that audiences would come staggering out of the cinema with their mouth agape and their tongues hanging out in absolute awe at the extravagent sets, conveniently forgetting that they'd just watched a ninety minute film without a script and where the actors were OUT-acted by the digital cherubs and slaming doors. I was so disinterested in Liam Neeson's performance I found myself simply staring in wonderment at the size of his nose most of the time. And frankly, at the end of the film I barely even noticed that Owen Wilson happened to be missing that thing from the top of his shoulders!!!
God I hate crappy films!! I've had it with The Haunting. There's no way I'm going to watch it a seventh time!!!
posted 08-27-2003 12:17 AM PT (US) Gae
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"Wise credits composer Humphrey Searle (??ever heard of HIM??) for the atmospheric, well-spotted music cues throughout the film. And they are just that...very well-spotted and very effective."Apart from "The Haunting", the only other score I know he did was Hammer's "The Abominable Snowman" (1957)
Gae
posted 08-27-2003 02:13 PM PT (US) Graham Watt
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I haven't seen the original HAUNTING in many a year, but I do remember being hugely impressed, and indeed quite scared! A wonderfully creepy movie. And yes, the remake is terrible.As Gae mentions, Humphrey Searle did the score for Hammer's ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN. The main titles are on one of GDI's Hammer compilations - a brief but tremendous piece which uses Tibetan bells (or something) to spine-tingling effect amidst incessantly "climbing" (appropriately) strings.
posted 09-04-2003 03:50 PM PT (US) Swashbuckler
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The Haunting has always been one of my favorite horror films. I saw the trailer for the remake and knew immediately that it would be totally worthless, and so I didn't bother to see it.I love the stark black-and-white Panavision photography in this film; it is a shame more black-and-white films weren't made in this aspect ratio. The interesting width-oriented compositions rendered this film very difficult to watch in pan-and-scan transfers, which is why the laserdisc, and now the anamorphically-enhanced DVD, were so revealing (I am too young to have seen this film except on TV or video).
What makes the film work, more than anything else, is its brilliant sound design, which, combined the fact that nothing is ever quite seen in this film (okay, the door balloons out in one sequence), makes ones mind fill in the blanks.
[Message edited by Swashbuckler on 09-05-2003]
posted 09-05-2003 04:10 PM PT (US) Old Infopop Software by UBB