The Haunting (1999)
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A group of people participating in an insomnia study at a secluded mansion find themselves plagued by paranormal events linked to the home's grim history.
The story
After her mother's death, an insomniac named Nell Vance is invited to participate in an insomnia study at Hill House, a sprawling manor in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts. Accompanied by other participants and the house's eccentric caretakers, Nell must navigate the unsettling atmosphere of the secluded estate. However, the study's true purpose is to observe the subjects' psychological responses to fear as they are exposed to the manor's terrifying secrets. As supernatural events begin to occur, the group must confront the haunting history of the house and the malevolent forces that linger within its walls.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Nell Vance, an insomniac, joins a study at Hill House, a mansion in western Massachusetts. She is joined by other participants, including Luke Sanderson and Theodora, and the eccentric caretakers, the Dudleys. Dr. Marrow secretly intends to expose the group to terror to study their reactions. The house's history involves its owner, Hugh Crain, who lived there with his wife and a 'family' of children whose spirits remain trapped. After a series of supernatural events and the injury of one assistant, Nell discovers that Crain used child labor and murdered children, and that she is a descendant of his second wife. When the group is trapped inside by Crain's ghost, Luke is killed. Nell confronts the ghost, declaring she is not afraid, which weakens him. He is cast into a portal but drags Nell with him; she is released by the children's spirits but dies in the process. Her soul, along with the children's, is freed.
- First release year
- 1999
- Runtime (minutes)
- 114
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jan de Bont
- Writers
- David Self · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Liam Neeson · Dr. Marrow; Catherine Zeta-Jones · Theodora; Owen Wilson · Luke Sanderson; Lili Taylor · Nell Vance; Bruce Dern · Mr. Dudley; Marian Seldes · Mrs. Dudley
- Genres
- supernatural horror; mystery; psychological horror
- Themes
- fear; legacy; trapped spirits
- Tone and mood
- tense; surreal
- Setting
- Hill House, a secluded, sprawling manor in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts.
- Premise and plot tags
- haunted house; insomnia study; supernatural
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
- Reception
- The film received mostly negative reviews from critics, primarily criticizing the screenplay and special effects, though it received praise for its set design and performances. It was a financial success.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 45 · scale: 100 · review count: 21; Metacritic · score: 42 · scale: 100 · review count: 28
- Production trivia
- The film was originally intended to be a collaboration between Steven Spielberg and writer Stephen King.; The interior sets were constructed in a dome-shaped hangar in Long Beach, California.; The studio demanded a new ending be shot because the original lacked clarity.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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