OT: The Haunting

[B5JMS Poster]

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From: bev1will at ecn.ab.ca ()
Date: 9 Feb 2000 06:00:50 -0700
Lines: 48

Mark Alexander Bertenshaw (Mark.Bertenshaw at virgin.net) wrote:
 
: I was lucky to watch this film on late night Saturday, on BBC2, and it is
: simply one of the best films I have ever seen.  It is what Harlan Ellison
: (sole B5 connection <g>) has called a film of Terror.  There is hardly any
: explicitness in this film, and there is not very much in the way of obvious
: "haunted house" manifestations, but it is one of the ultimate haunted house
: films.  There is only one obvious special effect, and that one is
: surprisingly cool - in fact I would say it is one that you would not expect
: in an early 1960s black & white film.  Most of the terror comes from
: disturbing sound, excellent but weird cinematography, and most of all, the
: hysterical internal voice of the main character.  The latter is an unusual
: device; most films would not be able to pull it off, since film is generally
: a visual medium only.  But that character's delusional state of mind is
: essential for the film to work on both a supernatural and a psychological
: level.

: I have heard that this is based on a book, and there has been a recent
: remake.  For those in the know, do either of these live up to the film?

I didn't bother seeing the recent remake -- I had been warned off it by
movie-loving friends who assured me it was lousy. Apparently it had little
to do with the original book (or was it short story?) or the 1960's b&w
movie which you saw, except that it used the same names of the main
characters (big whoop). Anyway, I share your enthusiasm with the original
film. I'd seen it as a teenager, and I was not a fan of horror films, and
to prove the point it scared the bejeebers out of me. The scariest part of
'The Haunting' was that the audience never saw the monster. That's what
kept the intensity of the fear going throughout the movie.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson was the story the film was
based on. Shirley Jackson also wrote 'The Lottery', which no
self-respecting literature teacher can ignore as a classic gem as far as
horror stories go. For me, that particular story was made horrifying by
the fact that it was so ordinary. The suspense built up to its climax
right at the very end. If you want to be scared and aren't into slasher
films (yuk!) check out any of Shirley Jackson's story anthologies at your
local library. You won't regret it.

Bev
Edmonton, Alberta








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From: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
Date: 9 Feb 2000 16:59:50 -0700
Lines: 22

>I'd seen it as a teenager, and I was not a fan of horror films, and
>to prove the point it scared the bejeebers out of me. The scariest part of
>'The Haunting' was that the audience never saw the monster. That's what
>kept the intensity of the fear going throughout the movie.

About the only film of that period that's more unsettling is SECONDS, with (of
all people) Rock Hudson.  It's a terrific film, marginally speculative fiction,
but it'll utterly leave you with the heebie-jeebies.

 jms

(jmsatb5 at aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com
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synthetic worlds, ltd., permission
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