The Haunting
On revisiting the 1999 film, being disappointed, then reading Shirley Jackson's novel.
“No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.”
Above are the first lines of Shirley Jackson’s 1959 horror novel The Haunting of Hill House. Stephen King, in Danse Macabre, praised Jackson’s book calling it one of the best horror stories of the 20th century. On Jackson’s first lines King wrote, “I think there are few if any descriptive passages in the English language that are any finer than this; it is the sort of quiet epiphany every writer hopes for: words that somehow transcend the sum of the parts." 1
I like a good haunted house movie. I’m not a fan of most other horror movies though, ones with exorcisms and gore or ‘found footage’. A friend suggested watching the 1999 remake of The Haunting for a movie club. As a child, I remember watching the original The Haunting (1963) with my Dad. There’s one jump scare where a character pops out of an attic doorway which isn’t particularly scary but I got scared anyway. Though I haven’t seen the movie for some time, I still remember the scene. So, naturally, what began as a viewing of the 1999 film quickly became a study of Shirley Jackson’s classic horror novel which both films are based from.
1999 remake The Haunting is a total 90’s movie complete with silly special effects which haven’t aged well, a few soon-to-be A-list actors, and even a teletubbies joke. The film stars Liam Neeson as Dr. Marrow, Catherine Zeta-Jones as Theodora, Owen Wilson as Luke and Lily Taylor as Eleanor. Check out the trailer - it’s a riot.
The film started as a collaboration between Steven Spielberg and Stephen King. Ultimately they didn’t end up working together due to creative differences. Initially Spielberg was signed on to direct, but handed directing duties over to Jan De Bont (Speed, Twister) and hired first-time screenwriter David Self. After filming wrapped, Spielberg ordered reshoots and rewrites. Spielberg and a colleague handled editing. In the end, De Bont felt that Spielberg’s cut focused too much on ‘phony effects’ than the character study De Bont had intended.2
The film begins with Eleanor. After caring for her invalid mother then living with her nasty older sister, Eleanor receives a call to participate in a sleep study. When she arrives at Hill House, she is struck by the uneasy look of the mansion and almost decides to turn back. Once inside the house Eleanor joins Theodora (Zeta-Jones) and Luke (Wilson) to participate in a sleep study under the supervision of Dr. Marrow (Neeson). Marrow’s study is actually on the psychological effects of fear, planning to prime the subjects to experience fear and study their responses. When Eleanor hears children’s voices calling her name, sees ghostly apparitions and bending walls and doors, she digs deeper uncovering a dark secret about the mansion’s builder, Hugh Crain. Right when we begin to think Eleanor may just be crazy, Marrow realizes she’s been telling the truth all along and the attacks ramp up. Spoiler - not everyone makes it out alive.
Overall, I liked watching this film but I don’t think I’ll be watching it again soon. Silly effects aside, I liked the pace, the slow-building suspense and the set design. The acting varies from not bad to worse. For the most part, the film felt like it was trying to stay true to Jackson’s novel while recreating the old Hollywood feel of the 1963 adaptation and also taking the story in a new direction with state-of-the-art effects. The result wasn’t great.
One thing the movie has going for it is the house. The house itself is a character and the set designers worked hard to create a terrifying gothic mansion. The exterior shots of the house were some of my favorite in the film. The opening sequence of the ominous house set against an eerie sunset reminded me of the beginning of The Shining.
I found myself wondering - what the hell was Crain up to? He’s not just evil, rather, he is a demon which feeds on fear, getting stronger as the house’s inhabitants get more and more afraid until Eleanor’s final standoff before Rodin’s The Gates of Hell. The giant hall, which Theodora describes as ‘Citizen Kane meets The Munsters’ is obviously some sort of temple designed and decorated with occult or satanic symbols and shapes. How did the demon come to possess Hugh Crain or was he always a demon? Was Eleanor able to stop him simply by not being afraid or is there more at play here?
I thought there’d be more with Eleanor’s character. She was looking for something outside herself to turn a new chapter in her life after caring for her mother. At one point, I thought the film was insinuating that Eleanor killed her mother (this is more explicit in the book). After saving the day at the end, Eleanor simply dies! So not much resolution there.
And this is where we come back to Jackson’s novel. Once I began reading the book, I found that the questions I’d been asking of the movie were where the screenwriters departed from the book, taking their own liberties with the story to not-so-great effect compared to Jackson’s novel.
The Haunting of Hill House is an excellent horror novel. Jackson’s doesn’t waste a single word. Her words are haunting, beautiful, and incredibly suspenseful. I enjoyed her ambiguity, always saying not quiet enough and leaving the reader to wonder whether or not the supernatural events are related to Eleanor’s psychic disturbances or the house itself. Before I knew it, and to my complete surprise, I was trapped in the house along with the characters. I started to second-guess myself, wonder if it was all just a big joke, but then something would happen, barely a glimpse of something horrible, yet just enough to make my spine tingle.
Jackson’s plot is tighter than the movie. Eleanor’s story arcs and resolves with greater strength than in the film. And Jackson keeps us guessing, the horror hidden within the house disguises itself and it’s not as simple as the demon Crain portrayed in the movie. Where the novel is ambiguous and creative, the movie is over-the-top and ridiculous. [For this review I didn’t have time to rewatch the 1963 adaptation but I recall it follows the novel more closely.]
Jackson’s novel may very well be the ultimate haunted house story and the reason why Hollywood has tried twice to adapt the film. But the experience of reading this book, of roaming those haunted halls with Eleanor is richer than any movie could provide.
There’s more I’d like to say but then I’d spoil it for you. You could watch the movie, if you’re curious, but why not pick up a copy of the book and let me know what you think. Having just finished reading, Jackson’s haunting descriptions of the house are still rattling around in my mind…I fear they may never leave me (in the best way possible).