Surprisingly incoherent and boring

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

This is ultimately a movie about the very bad things that can happen when we don't address our unease, when we just try to brush it off, whether that's to fit in or to preserve our self-image.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

This is supposed to be one of the best haunted house movies of all time? Admittedly, when I watched this the first time as a teenager alone at home at night, I was terrified. But seeing it again now, I must sadly say this is a boring, hardly frightening film with too much talking about how evil this house was. Most of all, the lead character is really annoying. Redeeming parts include some nice camera shots of the mansion, and Claire Bloom, who steals every scene she is in.

I am completely baffled by the insane number of high rated reviews , truly don't get it! I'm not a young person who can't be scared by black and whit horror with no gore. In fact I usually love those, I would rather be scared by what I don't see or simply a creepy atmosphere, which is what all the reviews on this seem to be. Nothing in this movie was scary, at all!! I watched it alone, in the dark after watching The Changeling so was a little spooked already but this was laughable and a waste of a good horror night and all of you that gave great reviews should pay me $2.99 for wasting my money. Omg, the narrator, Eleanor made it impossible to watch or be even remotely scared, just very annoyed!! A character full of fear and mental issues could be a great character, she was just stupid, whiny, totally unbelievable and well, I'm just stupefied that anyone, even a five year old could be scared of anything in this movie. To me, this movie is a disgrace to classic horror films and truly a disgrace that people actually thought it was good and took the time to write reviews encouraging people to seek it out. I mean really, is this a joke, are people just mad they watched it and want other people to suffer the same misery? There are a couple bad ratings, please, believe those, I wish I had, it's truly not scary, at all! Even if your not watching it to get scared but just hoping for a well done classic, don't! It should be takien off the classic horror list immediately!! If you saw the poorly rated "The Haunting" of 1999, it's actually 10o times better just cuz of some cool set design! Ugh, so mad, I had a feeling the ratings were a hoax, should have gone with my gut!!

THE HAUNTING is a horror drama about experiences of a small group of people who investigate paranormal phenomena in a haunted house. It is based on the 1959 novel "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson.Dr. Markway narrates the history of the 90-year-old Hill House, which was constructed by Hugh Crain as a home for his wife. His wife and other women who were staying in that house have mysteriously died. The house is shrouded in secrets and mysteries. Dr. Markway wishes to study the reported paranormal activity at Hill House. He has assembled a team of several people, but only two members of the team(two young women) has appeared in the house. There is also a skeptical young man who should inherit the house. During their first night in the house, they are terrified by supernatural occurrences. However, Eleanor, an unhappy spinster, is beginning to feel a strange connection with Hill House...Mr. Wise has tried to cover almost all aspects of a mysterious or paranormal story, such as a scandal, investigation, skepticism and madness. He has blended a paranormal appearance with everyday aspirations and the traumas. The direction is good, but the pace is rather slow. A neo-Gothic scenery fully corresponds with a dark and cold atmosphere. The fear blends into a certain shape of freedom in this film. This is interesting, because the story is basically tragic.Julie Harris as Eleanor "Nell" Lance is a distraught young woman, who is obsessed with an idea to change her life. She has a friend for the first time in her life, next to her is a man who pays attention to her, but she begins to hallucinate and escapes into the unknown. Her scars of the past have attacked her uncertain character. Ms. Harris has offered a good performance.Richard Johnson as Dr. John Markway not fully answered to his task as a guide and calm voice of reason. Claire Bloom as Theodora "Theo" is a good support to Eleanor. However, her character has not developed. She is trapped between her fear and a haunted house. Russ Tamblyn as Luke Sanderson is a skeptical young man who changes his character in relation to plots and culminations.A rich idea has offered a poor product.

The Haunting has been on my "to watch" list for many Octobers, due to all the incredibly positive reviews. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. This movie is not scary, suspenseful, spooky, moody or any other adjective you've read in other reviews. There is an incessant overload of expository dialogue from wooden characters. There is no buildup of tension. There is a main character who seems a bit psychologically unhinged, and being in the house might be making it worse. But there is very little here to scare any viewers. Unless of course you fear you might be going a bit crazy yourself. The entire movie should have been compressed to a 30-minute prologue to an actual ghost story or haunted house movie. I'm all for moody, atmospheric, subtle horror. This film has none of that. Skip it.