The Haunting...

I've always had a grudge with horror films, they just always seem to disappoint. This is why i never really watch them, especially the modern ones, which seem to have no narrative whatsoever and are just pointless. Before we watched this film, i expected to see some narrative and no special effects, which is probably the bridge between modern and traditional films. not many seem to get the balance right these days. Back to the film though, it didn't fail to disappoint in terms of narrative, but the acting wasn't great and the film, for me anyway, was ruined by Julie Harris' annoying acting and talking to herself. I feel that the film entertained me in terms of intensity as i was left imagining what the characters were seeing and feeling, in oppose to the more modern idea of physical representation. I didn't mind this film, although as i've mentioned, i don't enjoy horrors and some of the acting was pretty poor again. It was pretty simple to follow, although i found the storyline quite predictable and found it wasn't really going anywhere, everyday was too similar. The camerawork was slightly surreal at times, playing with the audiences' mind. i particularly liked one of the pan shots where the lens seemed to be distorted almost like the mirrors in a fun house. i also liked the cinematography thoughout the film, which used a lot of strange camera angles and helped to make the house seem more distorted and alive.

I haven't seen the re-make of this film, but from what i hear it was awful, using the technique of physical representation to portray the novel. The original film has received great reviews and has consistently made top 20 most frightening lists. it has beeen particularly praised for the effect it brings through the use of music, lighting and sound effects, without the use of any blood. The Re-make, however, received poor reviews, highlighting how so much CG has been used that the film isn't scary anymore. The original scored an 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, in comparison to the re-make which scraped an adismal 17%. It just goes to show that CGI and special effects isn't everything in a film.