Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
A remake that has the cgi as the star, 5 Oct 2007
If you saw the original, beware... The plot bears no resemblance to Shirley Jackson's psychological horror story. The sub-plots make no sense and dead-ends. There's lots of CGI and special effects, which are well done and are the star of the movie.
The sets for the house were the best part and are worth seeing. Liam Neeson must be sorry he made this film, and Owen Wilson, seems to be the comic relief, Zeta-Jones certainly looks good but isn't given anything to do except wander around looking colorfully tarty. Bruce Dern and Marian Seldes were probably just happy they had such small parts. This doesn't make it as a "good" bad movie, and it wouldn't really worth the trouble hating, except that it butchered a book that was both scary and intelligent.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Lacking in subtlety, 3 Dec 2000
I must begin by saying that I saw the original years before I saw this version so its hard not to make comparisons.The first thing in the film's favour is that it takes what was a scary story anyway and tells it quite well. Secondly, there are a few spine chilling moments in the film - all borrowed from the 1963 film. Unfortunately all this is undone by unsubtle effects and horror moments. I came away with the impression that Jan de Bont felt that the audience would be unsatisfied if they didn't see anything so threw in an effects driven finale...which spoils the ethos of the film. Lines have been added to the story which are tainted with the usual Hollywood belief that audiences are esseentially stupid and points have to be reinforced. The cast manage to make a good job of the material but at the end of the day Jan de Bont should not have been let near this. Its interesting to note in the accompanying featurette that the producers felt that the things you imagine can be much more powerful than what you see. I can only presume that this was why they wanted to make the film but somewhere along the line this idea was subverted. In recent years, ghost story films have all been given "happier" endings, aiming for a redemption concept that tends to undermine the power of the story. This is no exception. On a plus side, the transfer is excellent - the picture quality is clear and sharp. The sound is excellent even if some of the effects lack subtlety. The features are rather sparse comprising a short documentary and two trailers. My advice - track down the 1963 original, expertly directed by Robert Wise. It is far superior. The 1999 remake is entertaining and has a few spooky moments but is disappointing overall.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A SPOOKY GOOD HAUNTED HOUSE FILM - WELL WORTH A WATCH, 3 Nov 2007
After her mother's death, Eleanor (Lili Taylor) is desperate to get over her feelings of despair. Research Scientist Dr. Marrow (Liam Neeson) is searching for subjects to participate in a study on sleep disorder, and Eleanor is a perfect candidate. Accepted, she travels to Hill House, the site of an infamous massacre years ago, and meets up with the other subjects of the experiment Theo (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Luke (Owen Wilson). After the usual introductions are done, Dr. Marrow briefs everyone about what they are doing and the purpose of the experiment. After an accident nearly ruins the experiment, Dr. Marrow decides to carry on. That night, strange banging noises haunt Eleanor and Theo as they try to sleep. The next day, she begins to see and experience strange events in the house. Trying to convince Theo and Luke that Dr. Marrow isn't interested in sleep deprivation doesn't work, but it brings Eleanor close to a secret that even Dr. Marrow didn't know about and that could bring the house down around them.
The Good News: OHMYGOD! This has one of the creepiest houses ever in a horror film I've ever seen. It has the perfect blend of Gothic atmosphere and modern touches. It has an overall feeling of dread and suspense. With it's long, winding corridors, creature-busts for decorations, and artwork that is just as creepy as spending an eternity in hell itself, this house is just as creepy as the original. It is big and cavernous, and yet confining. These two ingredients are essential in creating the perfect haunted house movie, and the third ingredient is one of my favorite rules for haunted house is the "things that shouldn't be doing that/that shouldn't be there" philosophy. I love when haunted house films do that. If it's done right, it is an effective scene that really brings out the suspense of a movie. This movie does it right by keeping the first part of the film as a mystery as to why it's haunted, and the second half as a series of clues to lead us to a terrifying secret about the house. For the first half, though, we don't know the secret, and therefore we are left with a very spooky haunted house film. By making it just a spooky film, the paintings looking at us, the walls moving, it adds to create an atmosphere that very few haunted house films have created. There is one standout scene that really goes to prove this: as Eleanor is lying bed, she sees a black shadow enter the room on the ceiling and go over to her doorway. As the shadow gets to the doorway, it causes the archways in the door to raise, and it lights up these two red crystals. When it finishes, it appears that the door is looking at Eleanor with this demonic impression, and it is a very creepy scene. The ghosts are sometimes pretty creepy, and the way they interact with the cast is some great shocks. The one death in the film is one of the highlights. After attacking a picture of the owner of the house, the ghosts strike the person in the back and knock them onto a carpet. The carpet is dragged over to the fireplace, where it has a lion's head for a swing. The lion then opens its mouth and decapitates them, right in front of the rest of the group. There are many more different scenes that give some good chills, but would take up too much space to describe in detail. I even enjoyed the two different tones to the film. The mysterious first half is very well done, but the puzzle painted in the second half is very well thought out and is a bit out into left field, but it does make the movie seem a lot smarter than it probably is to some people.
The Bad News: Despite one of the classic scenes from the original being cleverly homage in a scene that really sticks out since it doesn't follow the tone of the rest of the movie, this has one very classic mistake: the ghosts are shown. There are several scenes where we see the ghosts up close, and that really irritates me. This is the only real complaint: the ghosts are far too visible far too often.
The Final Verdict: This is a better film than most admit to, but it really isn't all that bad. It has loads of suspense, a chilling house, and standout performances, all combining into a film that is a bit underrated. Watch this late at night with the lights out, and this might give you a few chills.
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