Popular Culture Review Vol. 12, No. 1, February 2001 | Page 131
T h e Haunting*, Jan De Bont Reinterprets
a Robert Wise Classic
One would expect a film entitled The Haunting to feature a protagonist pursued
by ethereal beings who terrorize, not only the film’s main characters, but the
audience, as well. In the 1999 film version of The H aunting, directed by Jan De
Bont, the action takes place in the archetypal situation for such happenings, a huge
mansion in a remote and isolated location, further leading the film-goer to anticipate
being transported into frightening circumstances. Unfortunately, although the
haunting spirits here are truly impressive from a technological perspective, they
are, at the same time, presented in far too tangible a form, violating a central premise
of haunted house movies that such figures should lurk around the edges. Definitions
in the O xford English D ictiona ry reinforce this concept, describing “haunting” as
pertaining to “unseen or immaterial visitants,” “imaginary or spiritual beings,”
and “disembodied spirits” (1265). For the viewer, the result of De Bont’s approach
is a very minimal sense of belief or involvement in the storyline and a total absence
of fright or horror.
De Bont also directed S p eed (1994), Twister (1997), and S p ee d 2: Cruise
Control (1997). This 1999 film is based on Shirley Jackson’s 1959 novel. The
Haunting o f H ill House. It is the second film adaptation, the first was directed in
1963 by Robert Wise.
Dr. David Marrow (Liam Neeson) is a psychology professor conducting a
study on the nature of fear. Through advertising for participants in this experiment
he describes as “concerning insomnia,” he lures three subjects: Eleanor (Lili Taylor),
Theo (Catherine Zeta-Jones), and Luke (Owen Wilson) to take part. They all
assemble at Hill House, a New England gothic mansion which is actually Harlaxton
Manor in Nottinghamshire, England (Ebert). At least that is where the exterior
shots were done. De Bont seems to consider the house the actual star of the film. “I
had two things in mind,” he says, “the hall in Citizen Kane and the hotel in Kubrick’s
The Shining'" (Peach, 74). It can truly be said that this location, with the
accompanying computer generated effects is the primary focus of this film. As
Theo first drinks in the atmosphere of Hill Hous e, she describes it as “Charles
Foster Kane meets the Munsters” (The H aunting, 1999).
In the opening scenes, we are given some expository background on Eleanor,
to help us understand her character and to plant an early suspicion that the strange
occurrences during her stay at Hill house are a product of her imagination, a sort of
projection of her subconscious feelings. Early on, we learn that Eleanor’s life had
been dominated by her mother and their strange relationship. On the one hand.