The Haunting, What Secrets Does the House Hold?

A remake of the classic 1963 movie "The Haunting" about a team of paranormal experts who look into strange occurrences in an ill-fated house. Through the course of the night some will unravel, some will question, and all will fight for their lives as the house fights back.

I first saw this movie at a newly-opened theater with an unadjusted speaker system, so it was SUPER loud! This film is in a cavernous mansion with a lot of bangs, booms, crashes - I felt like my chest was being used as a drum set! Back to this current viewing.

I was in no hurry to watch this again - the rental was here three days before I got the nerve to pop the disc in. I didn't hate the first viewing but not special enough to watch again after only six years.:) So I dove into it to get t over with. The DVD menu design is beautiful and good extras, chiefly the featurette about, not only this film's story, SFX but also about other "haunted" places as well. Very intriguing. On to the movie!

First off, the story. Many viewers compare this to classic 1963 movie "The Haunting" which shouldn't be done. These are two different films and need to be viewed as such. The main difference (without spoiling it) is that the 1963 version is about people who specifically go to the mansion to investigate paranormal activity, while in the 1999 version the doctor is doing a fear study which he masks under the guise of a sleeping disorder study. The story is explained in great and explicitly here. It's not complex and most people can figure it out before the halfway point. So the focus is on the characters, mostly Eleanor, and the feeling of a certain "coldness" which permeated throughout the atmosphere of the film (at least for me). Although simple, it's still an intriguing, albeit not too original, premise.