Haunted (Full Screen)
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Movie Reviews of Haunted (Full Screen)
Movie Review: Thin Plot - Good Acting
Summary: 3 Stars
I find myself conflicted writing offering this review. I found the movie entertaining and the plot with some mystery (not a bad ending), yet the premise for the plot seemed to derive from a combination of formulas used many times over. Still, other than some seemingly unrealistic, or unsensical events, the movie does captivate interest. On to some of the details (contains spoilers)...
Overall, the casting and actors'perfomances provide a solid anchoring of a quality production (Aidan Quinn, Kate Beckinsale, et al). The scenery was well chosen, but I wonder if more dramatic lighting would have set a more frightening mood. Most scenes seemed too well lit. Also, in some of the more dramatic moments that should have created a more drastic reaction, the object of the 'scare' was opaque or in the periphery. I draw reference to the scene where the professor emerges from the house of the family doctor/confident, where he seems to spy something that captures his bewilderment. The camera pans over a scene on a hill where, seemingly, nothing is worth notice! I had to reexamine the scene and freeze to capture the existence of the ghost of the little girl standing off to the far side and blurred. Other scenes left me scratching my head as to the reality of the situation. In one sequence, Kate brings Aidan to a small house on the property, which, supposedly, her mother loved to spend time. While there, a rocking chair starts rocking, to little comment or notice from the two! Also, how did a supposed ghost drive the car to pick up the professor at the train station (unobserved) or around the property? Why didn't the nanny reveal her situation earlier, in fuller detail? All of these things (and more) could have been addressed better with a more thorough scrutiny of the plot by the director.
This film is worth a view and you will find it entertaining, but don't place credence in the comparison to such supernatural classics as 'the changeling','the legend of hell house', and 'ghost story', it isn't even close. 'Haunted' is an upgrade from 'the others' and a few others, but not a classic. The shame is, with a little more attention to detail and mood setting filming technique, it may have been.
Movie Review: Very well done but not perfect...
Summary: 3 Stars
"Haunted" as a film has some very good points going for it - but it also has some very bad points as well. Over all the good points outweigh the bad points but one or two of the bad points are really, really glaring. The film is enjoyable and very worth watching but unless you're a big fan of the genre I don't think it's worth adding to your collection.First the good points, the cast really is good - all the actors are top rate even if the script is a bit weak at times. The cinematography is also among the good points and the music does a wonderful job at conveying a mood. The not so good points are the slow development of the plotline - there were a few scenes that did nothing to move the plot forward at all they were just sort of there, almost like they needed to make the film a very specific length (which being a Hallmark film for television is understandable but they could have done little more editing for the DVD). Another point not in the movies favor was the blatant inconsistency in the behavior of the lead character which I found to be incredibly distracting.
The film opens with a young boy losing his twin sister in a tragic accident. Many years later, the boy (played as an adult by Aidan Quinn) has become a psychologist who spends his time disproving psychic phenomena. Invited to a grand estate near his childhood home to investigate an older woman's problems with ghosts. Once as the estate he is drawn in to the lives of the three siblings that live there. He is even more drawn to the sister (played by Kate Beckensale) and begins a romance with her. Slowly he begins to question things going on and even his own sanity as things begin to happen. Can he solve the mystery before time runs out for everyone?
SPOILER WARNING: As I said my major problem with the film is the inconsistent behavior by Aidan Quinn's character - he pursues his love interest with the sister, Christina (Kate Beckensale), even after he sees increasing evidence of an intimate relationship between her and one of her brothers. This just seemed just completely out of character to me. It's because of this that I only give the film three stars.
Movie Review: Anti-Horror
Summary: 3 Stars
Being a fan of good horror I am always looking for new horror flicks, so after reading the reviews here I decided to try out Haunted. I was a bit disappointed by the film, and it occurred to me that Haunted is more of an anti-horror film. It's almost as if the creators of Haunted took the stereotypical horror flick and did the reverse with Haunted. Instead of the characters being a bit cheesy and fun, the characters in Haunted were dulled and lacked intensity. There was no blood or gore, and the only real scare/startle attempts in the film were the few instances of someone/something popping up in front of your face yelling "Boo!" Instead of having that one gratuitous skin shot, there were quite a few skin shots (about the only enjoyment I got out of this film - but not what I was looking for in a horror flick =). In fact, if it weren't for all of the skin shots, I don't think there is anything else in this film that would have kept it from being rated `G'.Also unlike many other horror flicks, this one has a plot that is easy to follow, but then again, the whole mystery behind the plot was easy to figure out (which I did about a quarter of the way through the movie).
Overall, I can't give this any more than three stars. The acting was good but the characters were dull, the plot was good but very basic and easy to figure out, what little special effects there were had little effect, and the film lacked any sort of thrills, chills or electricity. Haunted is good enough to rent and watch once, but not a film I would suggest any fan of horror actually purchase.
Movie Review: Slow, but eventually satisfying.
Summary: 3 Stars
3.5 stars. There is an abundance of character acting in this story that eventually saves this film from absolute obscurity. The only actor miscast here is Aidan Quinn who proves once again that he is much better in supporting roles than trying to sustain interest in his character throughout the film. If I have to pick a standout performance it would be Kate Beckinsale who is so seductive that my eyes were drawn to her presence in every scene regardless of the prowess of the other actors. By the end of the story it's almost scary how alluring she is, as if any man coming across her character would do well to bolt in the opposite direction, but he would fail to do so due to her vampiric charm. I wanted to point out flaws in the filmmaking, itself, but in retrospect some of the scenes were purposely confusing. Sufficed to say, if you go with the flow and you don't get bogged down by the slow pace of the movie some pleasant surprises are on the way. There are some flaws here and there, like the obvious body-double used for Aidan Quinn in a stimulating scene with Kate Beckinsale; I think Kate did the scene herself, but one never knows these days. This movie is worth checking out if you like a cerebral ghost tale loaded with British-style acting that relies more on subtelty than bombast.Movie Review: Very watchable indeed...
Summary: 3 Stars
...is this low-budget "britishish" horror-movie made for tv. Perhaps more provoking than scary, and being original that way for a ghost story -though I must add that the outcome of the twist plot was a bit too predictable. This being said; I wasn't bored, and that says a lot too about a movie without loads of special effects to "spice it all up", but instead dependent on its' story and actors. And both working out well. Aidan Quinn and Kate Beckinsale both fit for their parts. I like movies involving haunted mansions and ghost stories, and though this is far from being "Sixth Sence" in both production and screenplay, I was entertained and curious.
But despite all the high rates here on the page for this movie I recommend horror-fans to moderate their expectations -and keep in mind that this is a tv-movie, and indeed so in design when it comes to quality on sound and picture.