The Haunting (1999)

 
THE HAUNTING has a few good jolts.  Magnificent mansion, too.  
(Belvoir Castle and Harlaxton Manor, both in England, are listed 
as filming locations in the Internet Movie Database.)  The rest 
is just a mess of effects-- some great, some not-so-great-- 
menacing four bland actors playing four bland characters.  Even 
the sets, production designer Eugenio Zanetti's admittedly eye-
popping interiors, outperform the ensemble of Liam Neeson, Lili 
Taylor, Owen Wilson, and Catherine Zeta-Va-Va-Voom-Jones.  If it 
weren't so loud, you'd probably fall asleep...  Jan de Bont, who
helmed the superiorly stinky SPEED 2, directs.  David Self is 
credited with the script, based on Shirley Jackson's novel "The
Haunting of Hill House."   (Rated "PG-13"/112 min.) 

Grade: C-             

Copyright 1999 by Michael J. Legeros
Movie Hell is a trademark of Michael J. Legeros

Originally posted to triangle.movies as MOVIE HELL: Baggy Briefs