The Haunting (1999)

Director: Jan de Bont
Format: DVD
DVD Features: behind the scenes, trailers, bios
Starring: Liam Neeson, Lili Taylor, Owen Wilson, Catherine Zeta Jones
Trailer

Frequently, as I may have mentioned in the past, I like to puruse my local video store, just to see what I can find for $5.00. Although I get most of my rentals through Netflix, it’s still fun to hop down the block and see what Hollywood Video has to offer. They usually have a sale. I can find 4 movies for $20 or similar. The great thing about DVD’s, I find, is that unlike the archaic VHS (some of us still remember that), buying them used is almost as good as buying them new. Video stores normally stock a bunch of the new releases, and thin them out as the title gets older. The only downfall is removing that obnoxious sticker. The Haunting was one of these five dollar purchases, rounding out the other three so I could get my four movie deal.

**Notice: I have not seen the 1963 movie that The Haunting of 1999 is based on. So, I will not be comparing the two films in this review.**

Dr. David Marrow (Liam Neeson), a university psychiatrist, decides that the best way to conduct his experiment on fear is to lure his volunteers in under the guise of a study on sleep disorders. He finds three test subjects; Eleanor, Theo and Luke, and invites them to stay at Hill House. Once there, he tells them of the mansion’s sordid past. It seems that the former owner of Hill House was a man named Hugh Crain, who built this house for his lovely wife, Carolyn. His wife, apparently perished inside the house after several of their children met an ill fate. Marrow’s idea is to scare his subjects and study their reaction to the tale. However, he has no inkling that there may be more than fear lurking in the mansion’s shady rooms to keep them all awake.

Eleanor (Lili Taylor), or “Nell” as she’s called, has just suffered the death of her mother, whom she cared for through a terrible illness. After her heartless sister has her ejected from the home, Nell notices Dr. Marrow’s ad in the paper. Nell doesn’t suffer insomnia, per se, but is so used to being awoken in the middle of the night by her demanding mother, that she still hears the woman calling her. Once at Hill House, she is joined by Theo (Catherine Zeta Jones), a high-fashion woman from New York with a taste for the ladies. The third guinea pig is Luke (Owen Wilson) who is a happy-go-lucky insomniac.

Although I have enjoyed Taylor in several films (especially The Addiction), I couldn’t stand her character in The Haunting. She is far too meek and the pity-me routine grated on my nerves. Wilson is an actor who does well with a good script, and not very good with a bad one. In this movie, his character may be good at heart, but a dullard nonetheless. He doesn’t pose any threat as a romantic involvement for the girls, and neither is he a strong contender against the ghosts. Jones is little more than eye candy and didn’t impress me at all in her role as Theo. So, while The Haunting is full of capable actors, their skills all go to waste.

The best character by far in the movie is the house itself. The rooms and hallways are full of lavishly carved stairways and cleverly disguised passageways. There is even a mirrored carousel behind one of its doors. The carvings play a large part in the plot of the film, as they serve to lead Nell on her hunt for the truth behind the dead children in Hill House. Other elements of the abode transform as well, from an evil-eyed window to a possessed bed. Although the CGI in the movie is not as polished as some more recent films, there are a few really neat effects.

Unfortunately, I have never felt that spookactular special effects can make up for a bad plot, a pathetic script and terrible acting. So, The Haunting falls far short of my expectations. Even a B-grade horror film at least has “camp”.

Overall Rating: 1
Hottie Rating: 1 (Jones always looks good)

Alternate Viewing: The Others
Official site
IMDB site
Rotten Tomatoes review

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Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Director: Tim Burton
Venue: DVD
DVD Features: trailers, photo gallery, interviews, featurette, director commentary
Trailer

Let me start by stating the obvious (to some). I am a Tim Burton fan. He’s got a distinctive sense of style, a great sense of humor and that certain finesse that few directors can touch. So, my review of any film directed by Burton is going to be a little biased. Conversely, the few movies that have disappointed on the scale of his other works, might otherwise have been given a good review, when compared to any common film. With that said, let’s take a look at Sleepy Hollow.

Hopefully, many people are already familiar with the story of Sleepy Hollow. I personally recall seeing the Disney animated version several times as a child and Burton reportedly based his version on that one. This new version of Washington Irving’s classic tale adds much more depth to the character of Ichabod Crane (Depp). After causing trouble in New York with his newfangled ideas of scientific research and criminology, his “superiors” sentence him to investigate the mysterious decapitations occurring in the village of Sleepy Hollow. Once he arrives, he is told the story of The Headless Horseman and sets out to disprove the myth and catch the real killer. However, his investigations lead him right back around to the world of magic and fantasy.

Plot: 4 ½ stars

As far as I am concerned, Johnny Depp is among the most talented (not to mention best looking) actors in the world. He’s also one of the most under-appreciated, in my opinion, as he has yet to be presented with an Oscar. He and Burton have a successful history together and he played a fantastic Ichabod Crane. Depp plays the character as an awkward and eccentric detective with a shadowy and troubling past and does it all in a beautifully humorous fashion. On the other hand, the worst casting call in Sleepy Hollow is the role of Christopher Walken as The Headless Horseman. Why cast an actor known for his brilliant performances and famous delivery as a character with virtually no lines!? It’s a travesty to be sure. Christina Ricci, who plays Crane’s love interest Katrina, didn’t seem very invested in the role to me. It was as if she was constantly distracted. I think any other similarly compensated Hollywood actress could have filled the role without much of a noticeable difference. Michael Gough, who plays Notary Hardenbrook, does the finest job of any of the village elders in Sleepy Hollow. Although his role isn’t a very large one, he is totally convincing in it. Miranda Richardson, however, is completely awful as Kitrina’s evil stepmother. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that she was reading from cue-cards.

Acting: 4 stars

It should already be obvious that Sleepy Hollow doesn’t feature any car chases or gun fights. But, it does have severed heads! (Yay for severed heads!) It has horse/carriage chasing and even witchcraft, wooden stakes, and an undead soldier. What more could an audience want? Did I mention that there are severed heads?

Action: 3 stars

As with most of Tim Burton’s films, expect a fantastic wardrobe of black and white stripes and that special brand of creepiness that pervades the entire set. The town of Sleepy Hollow is wonderfully absorbing due in large part to the set designs, costumes, lighting, make-up and other random features integrated throughout. The minimal CGI is not quite up to par with more recent films, but well done on the scale of the late 90’s.

Visual: 4 ½ stars

My favorite quote related to this movie isn’t in the script. Another interview I was reading for the film quotes the director as saying, "I've always wanted to make a movie where one of the characters didn't have a head." What’s that you say? “Not fair, you have to pick a quote from the film,” you say? Fine then! I guess I’m just so pissed off that Christopher Walken doesn’t have any lines that I got distracted. The best string of dialogue that comes to mind is the scene in which Ichabod is huddled in bed following his encounter with the horseman. “But it was a horseman…(pause) headless! (faint)” The line doesn’t look like much on paper, but the way Depp delivers it is hilarious.

Dialogue: 3 stars

When I saw this movie in the theater, back in ’99, I didn’t think much of it. I had been so psyched up about Burton’s rendition of the tale, that I was actually a bit disappointed with it (especially the acting). Now that I’ve seen it a few times on DVD, it’s grown on me, but it’s still not one of my favorites.

Alternate viewing choice: Delicatessen
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Rotten Tomatoes Review

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