Death WarmedOver

The Haunting remake offers up diluted spirits of '63 original

A A A Comments (0) By Andy Klein Thursday, Jul 29 1999

De Bont and Self have also embellished the plot, particularly the back story, with so many unnecessary twists -- none of which serves much purpose -- that it becomes wearying. And inevitably, during the second half, the filmmakers pull out the stops, with constant computer effects, showing us quite explicitly what should never have been shown at all. The monsters and morphs and digital sound make for an occasionally effective shock, but more often than not the concreteness turns the audience's fearful anticipation into disappointing, even comical, reality. By the end, The Haunting has become a farrago of shtick that we've seen before (and better) in Burn Witch Burn, in Alien, and in Poltergeist, among dozens of others.

The first-rate cast really tries its best: It's primarily Taylor's movie, but Wilson (Bottle Rocket) is perfect, and Zeta-Jones is almost as good.

Frank Masi

Boo who's: Lili Taylor in The Haunting

Details

Rated PG-13.

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With The Haunting arriving in theaters so close to The Blair Witch Project, it's impossible not to make the obvious comparisons between two films that take such obviously different approaches to horror. What's ironic is how much closer Blair Witch is in its strategies to the original Haunting than the new Haunting is itself. Boo who's: LiliTaylor in TheHaunting.