Haunted (Full Screen)
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Movie Reviews of Haunted (Full Screen)
Movie Review: High-Caliber Ghost Story With Shocks And Twists
Summary: 4 Stars
"Haunted" is a great romantic spookshow, set in the earlier part of the 20th century and involving a college professor/'paranormal debunker' (for whom a personal tragedy early in life has led him, oddly enough, not to hope for a 'better beyond' but to spend much of his life strenuosly trying to disprove the existance of anything otherworldly), played by Aidan Quinn, called upon to investigate a great manor deep in the English countryside and lay to rest once and for all any suspicion of a haunting. The great house is inhabited by three siblings (including the gorgeous Kate Beckinsale) and their troubled grandmother, who is the one who seems to believe something supernatural is afoot. Beckinsale's role is her most revealing that I've seen by far (a definate highlight) and her performance is among the best she's delivered, enough to be immensely memorable even without the welcome exposure. And Anna Massey as "Nanny", as her grandchildren call her, is superb in her role as a frightened older lady who's either delusional or is seeing things that no one else can...or will admit to if they are.
Romantic, scray, sexy, dramatic and mysterious with a shocker ending, this is a movie that cries out for a sequel. After a decade I don't know if the chances for that are good or not but I do have some good news to report on that front: author James Herbert, who wrote the novel "Haunted" from which this movie sprang, also wrote a followup called "The Ghosts Of Sleath", which I'm not sure if is a direct sequel or a followup in the sense of just having a couple of the characters turn up in a brand new story. Obviously I haven't read it yet, but it's definately on my 'Must-Get' list, and other fans of the movie may want to give it a look too.
The only minus for "Haunted" (in my opinion) occurs in the latter going and I can't therefore can't discuss. Don't be put off by that, it's a very well-done part but it's one of those cases where, subjectively, I would have preferred the movie to take a diiferent fork in the road than the one it chose. On the other hand, there's another, truly awesome, twist toward the end I Really appreciated. A great movie; hugely recommended.
DECEMBER 12 Update to above review: With the benefit of hindsight and a great rewatch I've given it some thought and decided that four stars isn't enough. Revised rating: Five Stars.
Movie Review: it's not actually haunting
Summary: 4 Stars
Haunted is a bit deceiving in name. You fully expect it to focus entirely on scares and suspenseful moments involving spirits, but that's not what actually happens.
Instead, it's more like a love story that develops between a British man and a woman, and it moves along at a *very* slow pace. This film could basically fall under the category of a love story to be honest.
The actual scares are few and far between, but when they do occur (such as a certain sudden explosion scene, along with a fire segment taking place much later) the movie does make you feel a *little* frightened.
Anyway, it's about a British man who doesn't believe in ghosts at all, so he spends some time in a castle, meets a woman (along with a few other people including a nanny) and the storyline takes off from there. There's just WAY too many quiet and unmemorable segments to really recommend this film to horror lovers.
The best moment actually comes from the very beginning when the British man is able to prove that a psychic reading is a scam. Too bad it takes over an hour and a half for the next best moment to make an appearance.
However, the reason I give the film a rating of 4 out of 5 is because of an EXTREMELY big storyline twist at the end that basically saves the movie. Without that twist, I'd probably give Haunted a rating of a 2 since the majority of it is quite dull.
That twist is a major one though, and besides that, only the nanny with her strong belief in ghosts would save the storyline otherwise.
I guess you have to be really patient in order to enjoy Haunted and be open-minded to lengthy love scenes. Otherwise you'll just end up sorely disappointed.
Movie Review: A Classic Ghost Story With a Surprise Ending
Summary: 4 Stars
Despite what some of the other reviewers wrote about this movie, I liked it very much. I won't go into the plot, since anyone reading these reviews will have already been introduced to the characters and the actors who play them. Aidan Quinn is one of my very favorite actors, and as far as I'm concerned, the chemistry between all of the actors couldn't have been more perfect. I would probably have given this film FIVE stars, BUT, one thing that totally disappointed me about the film was, that, during the love scene between Kate Beckinsale and Aidan Quinn, the scene 'switches' to a full body shot of the lovers, and suddenly, when the scene (shot) angle is changed, the man Ms. Beckinsale is making love with is NOT Aidan Quinn! The lovers flop over, the shot angle changes and WA LA! She's 'doin' Mr. Quinn again. I mean, I understand about stand ins, but the director screwed up this scene, showing the stand-in's face quite extensively in the shot. How he could think he could get away with that and expecting that no one would notice, I don't understand. The character change had nothing to do with the plot or characters in the movie, trust me. The director just screwed up with the stand-in. And, in the beginning of the movie, when Aidan Quinn's character exposes a charlatan medium, he pulls her accompice out of a 'closet' of sorts, exclaiming "THIS is my mother!". Say, what? Nevertheless, the sound effects, SCARE effects, scenery and acting were very, very good. This movie is classically SPOOKY. I'm glad I own it!Movie Review: A Classic Ghost Story With a Surprise Ending
Summary: 4 Stars
Despite what some of the other reviewers wrote about this movie, I liked it very much. I won't go into the plot, since anyone reading these reviews will have already been introduced to the characters and the actors who play them. Aidan Quinn is one of my very favorite actors, and as far as I'm concerned, the chemistry between all of the actors couldn't have been more perfect. I would probably have given this film FIVE stars, BUT, one thing that totally disappointed me about the film was, that, during the love scene between Kate Beckinsale and Aidan Quinn, the scene 'switches' to a full body shot of the lovers, and suddenly, when the scene (shot) angle is changed, the man Ms. Beckinsale is making love with is NOT Aidan Quinn! The lovers flop over, the shot angle changes and WA LA! She's 'doin' Mr. Quinn again. I mean, I understand about stand ins, but the director screwed up this scene, showing the stand-in's face quite extensively in the shot. How he could think he could get away with that and expecting that no one would notice, I don't understand. The character change had nothing to do with the plot or characters in the movie, trust me. The director just screwed up with the stand-in. And, in the beginning of the movie, when Aidan Quinn's character exposes a charlatan medium, he pulls her accompice out of a 'closet' of sorts, exclaiming "THIS is my mother!". Say, what? Nevertheless, the sound effects, SCARE effects, scenery and acting were very, very good. This movie is classically SPOOKY. I'm glad I own it!Movie Review: An under-rated horror movie!
Summary: 4 Stars
Yes, this is definitely one of the under-rated horror gems that is not your typical gorefest that is so characteristic of horror movies these days. A thrilling, subtle adaptation of James Herbert's novel - Aidan Quinn plays David Ash, a debunker of supernatural phenomena. David himself had a tragic incident in his life, losing a beloved twin sister when they were both very young.
At the behest of an old lady who previously worked as a nanny in an old country manor in the English countryside, Davod goes there to help her resolve the question of whether or not there are spirits haunting the manor.The strange happenings lead him to doubt first his own skepticism, and eventually his sanity. Things get further complicated when David finds himself falling for Christina [an alluring and enigmatic Kate Beckinsale] who is a member of the family that owns the house. Christina's and David's mutual attraction to each other face the disapproval of Christina's brothers, especially the older brother [played by Anthony Andrews].
David also finds himself being haunted by visions of a young girl who looks very much like his deceased sister. Is he really seeing supernatural entities or is he going mad? This is a first-rate supernatural thriller that has some genuine jump in your seat moments, and a credibly eerie atmosphere. Highly recommended!