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Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Haunting, The (Blu-ray) (1999)
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Haunting, The (Blu-ray) (1999)
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Released 4-Mar-2020
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Details At A Glance
| General |
Extras |
| Category |
Horror / Thriller |
None
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| Rating |
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Year Of Production
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1999
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| Running Time |
112:41
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RSDL
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Flipper
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Dual Layered
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Cast & Crew |
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Start Up
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Programme |
| Region Coding |
2,4
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Directed By |
Jan De Bont
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Studio
Distributor |
Umbrella Entertainment
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Starring |
Liam Neeson
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Owen Wilson
Lili Taylor
Bruce Dern
Marian Seldes
Alix Koromzay
Todd Field
Virginia Madsen
Michael Cavanaugh
Tom Irwin
Charles Gunning
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| Case |
Standard Blu-ray |
| RPI |
$24.95
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Music |
Jerry Goldsmith
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NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.
Plot Synopsis
The much-maligned remake of the classic 1963 film of the same name, 1999's The Haunting is a better flick than its reputation implies, thanks largely to a charismatic cast and exceptional set design. Scripted by David Self (Road to Perdition), the feature is based on Shirley Jackson's 1959 novel The Haunting of Hill House (which recently inspired a terrific Netflix series), and is actually more of a re-adaptation than a remake, since the production company could not obtain the remake rights for the 1963 film. Produced on an eye-watering $80 million budget, and with blockbuster extraordinaire Jan de Bont (Twister, Speed) at the helm, The Haunting is a visually striking horror movie, but it does not leave a lasting impression or get under your skin, which is a shame considering the talent and potential.
Dr. Jeffrey Marrow (Liam Neeson) intends to conduct an academic study on the nature of fear, and selects three participants under the pretence that the research relates to insomnia. Eleanor (Lili Taylor) is an insomniac who recently lost her mother and risks homelessness, and is one of the candidates chosen by Dr. Marrow for the experiment. Joining Eleanor is the adventurous Theodora (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and the sarcastic young Luke (Owen Wilson), both of whom suffer from sleep disorders. Dr. Marrow, along with research assistants Mary (Alix Koromzay) and Todd (Todd Field), takes his subjects to the enormous gothic mansion known as Hill House, which was built in the 19th century on an isolated site in New England. Dr. Marrow intends to frighten the group by telling them about the house's disturbing history, but soon finds out that the mansion is really haunted by Hugh Crain (Charles Gunning) as well as the souls of several murdered children.
1963's The Haunting is celebrated for being a psychological horror film, as it never reveals any spirits or entities on-screen; it's a sublime demonstration of "less is more." However, this iteration of The Haunting mostly disregards psychological horror, instead relying on expensive special effects to create big set-pieces and show the entities inhabiting Hill House. Although this new approach is often perceived as a negative, merely duplicating the 1963 picture's style would likely feel too derivative. Furthermore, several of the scary moments receive innocuous explanations, which leaves you to wonder if your eyes are playing tricks on you. The Haunting fares best throughout its first two acts, which are more restrained and contain numerous chilling moments, but it begins to lose its way as the proceedings build to an overblown climax. The digital effects by ILM are competent and serviceable, but do not always convincingly blend with the live-action material.
The real star of The Haunting is the extravagant production design by Eugenio Zanetti, which is a sight to behold, turning Hill House into a character of its own. The mansion's architecture is breathtaking, from the gothic statues to the windows, paintings and furniture - there is always something visually striking on-screen, and cinematographer Karl Walter Lindenlaub (Universal Soldier, Independence Day) takes full advantage of the lavish sets. The sweeping exterior shots of a real mansion in England also serve to augment the sense of scope. Furthermore, the score by the late great Jerry Goldsmith is predictably magnificent, giving The Haunting some much-needed atmosphere and flavour. Meanwhile, in terms of the casting, Lili Taylor's character receives the most development, as the movie allows us to become acquainted with her before she sets foot in Hill House. (Luke and Theodora are not glimpsed until they arrive at the mansion.) Taylor is a talented performer, and she brings convincing depth to the role, always appearing committed to the material. Additionally, the always-reliable Neeson makes for a fine Dr. Marrow, while Zeta-Jones and Wilson are eminently watchable, even though neither of them step outside of their comfort zones.
In the grand pantheon of contemporary horror films, The Haunting is not among the worst, and it deserves a second chance. Although not exactly terrifying, it is entertaining and atmospheric, and it's low on mindless jump scares that have come to characterise the modern horror genre. It's a bit long in the tooth at just under two hours, and the climax is underwhelming, but some moments throughout the feature are creepy and thrilling, while the production design remains a visual marvel. In short, while not the classic it had the potential to be, the movie gets just enough right to ensure it's worth watching. Spurred on by the negative critical reception, The Haunting was nominated for five Razzie Awards, including Worst Picture, but it does not deserve such disdain.
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Transfer Quality
Video
The Haunting makes its worldwide Blu-ray debut courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment, with an AVC-encoded 1080p high definition transfer that retains the movie's original 2.40:1 aspect ratio. As per usual for Umbrella, rather than cheaping out with a single-layer BD-25, The Haunting is given a whole BD-50 to itself, resulting in an alarmingly high average video bitrate around 35 Mbps. Better still, the high definition master supplied to Umbrella is in excellent shape. Since the film was produced in 1999, it was finished photochemically, as this was before the modern age of digital intermediates. Thus, Umbrella were presumably supplied with an older HD master, which is likely the same video master that was prepared for the DVD, but it looks far better than this description implies. With finely-resolved grain, satisfying fine detail and nicely saturated colours, this is another robust Blu-ray from the good folks at Umbrella.
First things first, there are tell-tale signs of digital noise reduction, which is the only disappointing thing about this transfer. Indeed, some shots and moments look noticeably smeary, though this isn't common enough to be a deal-breaker. For instance, see the coverage of Mary (Alix Koromzay) at 5:22; her hair is extremely smeary, as opposed to sharply-resolved. The DNR is mostly discernible in characters' hair and faces (see Bruce Dern at 9:27, especially his facial hair), and it looks like some wide shots were subjected to some light edge enhancement to boot. Ironically, the CGI would probably look superior if the grain was left in-tact. In addition, there's a light smattering of print damage throughout, with infrequent specks (see the first shot of Hill House as Nell is driving towards it), but most people probably won't even notice it. Aside from this, film artefacts are in surprisingly short supply - the transfer is pleasingly stable, and there's no severe print damage. Thankfully, there are no other shortcomings to mention, and the flaws which do exist are not even major issues. For an old archival HD master, I expected a lot worse, especially since numerous films of a similar vintage look noticeably worse in HD (Bowfinger, Psycho, etc.).
Firstly, the textures receive a welcome boost from the high definition encode. Although the DNR takes a layer of fine detail off the top, the movie still looks sharp and textured for the most part, allowing you to appreciate the insanely intricate production design, though it's not always flattering towards the mediocre digital effects. The grain which does remain is thankfully organic and nicely-resolved, with no blocky/chunky grain that often plagues archival video masters. There are also no problematically soft-looking shots, as the presentation retains fine edges from start to finish. Textures do begin to falter in wider shots, but that's par for the course. In addition, shadow detail is strictly average under lower light, but again I didn't exactly expect anything different, considering the limited colour space of 1080p. Perhaps the biggest strength of the transfer is the colours. The movie looks beautifully saturated throughout, with a vibrant palette, and there's no evidence of any distracting blanket tints or unnecessary revisionism - it still looks like a celluloid-shot production from the late 1990s. Thanks to the pleasing palette, as well as robust contrast and black levels, image depth is satisfying, with the transfer never taking on a flat digital appearance.
It's truly a pleasure to report that The Haunting looks so satisfying for its Blu-ray debut, with this textured and vibrant-looking HD transfer. The encoding itself is also rock-solid, with the monstrous video bitrate ensuring that no compression artefacts appear throughout the movie. Indeed, I was unable to detect any anomalies like aliasing, banding, ringing, macroblocking, or anything else - it's smooth sailing from start to finish. Sure, a new 4K remaster would be an enticing prospect and would yield better results, but I can't complain too much about Umbrella's Blu-ray. It's certainly hard to imagine any company producing a better encode of this HD master, and it beats the ever-loving crap out of the DVD. If you like this movie, it's an excellent upgrade.
As per usual for Umbrella, no subtitles are available.
Video Ratings Summary
| Sharpness |  |
| Shadow Detail |  |
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| Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
| Film Artefacts | |
| Overall | |
Audio
For its worldwide Blu-ray debut, The Haunting's sole audio option is a lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix, and it's very satisfying. Let's get one thing out of the way first: the low-frequency effects throughout this track are spectacular, as every scary set-piece is underscored by insane bass that'll make your subwoofer shake. Hell, objects on top of my subwoofer were rattling as I watched this disc. This is one aggressive track, and it'll give your surround sound system one hell of a workout. Even during more innocuous scenes, such as Eleanor being given a tour of Hill House after her arrival, there's deep rumbling in some moments, and even door sound effects are impactful. Added to this, the mix is crystal clear thanks to the lossless encoding, and the track never sounds compressed or compromised in any way. My only complaint relates to prioritisation, as dialogue is too soft compared to the louder sound effects and music - I found myself toggling the volume up and down quite commonly. Then again, this is usually par for the course when it comes to horror movies.
Atmospherics throughout the movie are consistent and effective. During external scenes, you can hear birds chirping, and these sounds push to the surround channels. Inside Hill House, meanwhile, there's eerie silence when intended, though the audio track never sounds underwhelming. Music also comes from the surround channels consistently, and it's always clear, while the subwoofer also accentuates the music when necessary. I was able to notice some separation and panning effects, as well, such as when Mary is injured. Aside from the issues with dialogue, there's little else to complain about - this is an effective, strong audio track, and the lossless encoding makes it a welcome upgrade over the DVD.
Audio Ratings Summary
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| Audio Sync | |
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| Surround Channel Use | |
| Subwoofer | |
| Overall | |
Extras
Nothing. This is a barebones disc. There isn't even a disc menu. However, there is a reversible cover with artwork that's not spoiled by ratings logos.
R4 vs R1
NOTE: To view
non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually
also NTSC compatible.
This is a world exclusive at the time of writing, so it's a win for the local by default. However, the original DVD does have a 27-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, so there's that.
Summary
I didn't hate The Haunting, but nor did I like it as much as I wanted to. It's an enjoyable late-'90s haunting house horror flick with some great production design and special effects, but it's not scary and it doesn't linger on the mind.
Umbrella has once again brought a forgotten movie to Blu-ray for the first time in the world. For its worldwide Blu-ray debut, The Haunting looks and sounds terrific, with a few minor caveats. Unfortunately, there are no extras. If you're a fan, this disc is a must-buy. For everyone else, try before you buy.
| Video | |
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© Callum Knox (I studied biology)
Wednesday, April 01, 2020
| Review Equipment |
| DVD | Sony UBP-X700 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player, using HDMI output |
| Display | LG OLED65E6T.
This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 2160p.
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| Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver.
This audio decoder/receiver has not been calibrated.
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| Amplification | Samsung Series 7 HT-J7750W |
| Speakers | Samsung Tall Boy speakers, 7.1 set-up |
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