Haunted (1996)

the audience applauded

Just perfect...

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Haunted is an atmospheric, valiant yet frustratingly uneven ghost story effort, in the tradition of stuff like The Awakening and The Haunting. If the plot seems close to last year's Crimson Peak, it's because it is, and I'd bet that Del Toro had this forgotten entry in mind when he embarked on that journey. I say frustrating because there's a certain few absolutely terrific moments of Gothic horror that truly shiver your timbers, but they're hopelessly mired in a mucky moor of a plot that unfortunately is not as effective as those key scenes. You David Ash is rough housing around wit his sister in the English countryside when she hits her head on a rock, and drowns in the pond below. He grows up soaked in guilt, dedicated to disproving the existence of paranormal phenomena. As an adult he's played by Aiden Quinn, who is an average dude with slightly wild looking eyes who is always effective in the sense that he seeks out challenging, odd projects which test his everyday aura nicely. In the early 1900's he is summoned back to rural Britain by an elderly woman (Anna Massey) who is convinced that she is surrounded by ghosts. He is greeted there by the luminous, attractive Christina (Kate Beckinsale), a friendly young thing with a distinct untrustworthy vibe and a penchant for getting creepy close with her two strange brothers (Anthony Andrews and Alex Lowe). She lives out there in isolation with them as well as their disturbed mother, and one gets the sense right off the bat that something is wonky. I suppose that's the point though isn't it? Beckinsale has carved a path of playing either somber, distraught women or tough, silent warrior chicks. This is the most animated work I've ever seen from her, and the most radiant she's ever looked as well. It's also to date the only nude scenes she's ever put forth, and I don't use the term lightly... she really bares it all here. The middle portion of the film meanders around with these characters, not revealing enough to push the plot forward enough, until the curtain is whisked away jarringly in the third act, cementing it's pacing issues for good. It's a picturesque enough journey, I just wish we had something to latch onto besides that, some substance and a consistency in the creepiness factor to keep us invested. Alas. It's got a spookily wonderful beginning, and an electric, full blooded ending, the only two instances where it shows true feeling and commitment. The rest is, well... stale. It's worth a peek for a few reasons though, including Beckinsale's solid performance and that one uber-scary scene in the opener.

Hey, I just want to say I have watched this movie 10 times and never get tired of it. Kate Beckinsdale back in her early prime was and so beautiful. The acting is great! It took me many years to find a DVD but finally own this movie:) I remember seeing this for the very first time on some cable channel back in 1995...I couldn't tell you which one? Very well written movie and very well produced. I wish they would make more like these.This movie is about a Professor at a British university who is requested by an older maid/servant to come to a mansion out in the suburbs of Great Britain. The Professor has written a book trying to convince everybody there are no ghosts or paranormal true events on this planet. He is in for the surprise and shock of his life. Professor Ash decides to take a visit to this historic mansion at the request of the aging maid/housekeeper and encounters events he would have never envisioned.My roommate, God bless her soul, saw this with me 9 years ago just before she died. She said this was one of the most scariest but adorable movies she had ever seen. Myself? One of the most underrated Mysteries/Thrillers/Paranormal/Love Story movies I had ever seen and loved it. A must see and one of those movies that will keep your attention throughout. A lot to like about this one. I don't care what the current rating say about this movie...I adored it. I gave it a 10 out of 10. Very picky about movies and consider this a winner in my book:)

I just watched this movie for the first time tonight. First of all, I love ghost stories, anything about the supernatural and I am interested. I also love period pieces, so this movie seemed like it would be great to watch. Well, I was definitely disappointed. During the first half hour or so, it was very promising and had a lot of potential to be really entertaining, mysterious and suspenseful. Unfortunately this never happened. It was incredibly slow moving for one thing. I was sitting there just waiting for something scary to happen to make David think there were ghosts. I had an idea about halfway through that Christina and her brothers were ghosts, although they tried really hard to make that not seem possible. And that was another thing that I didn't like, it was just way too far fetched. There was nothing that really made you think they were ghosts, they could've been a bit more clever about that. And then Christina dying in the car fire, what was that all about? I don't know, it was very strange. It had real potential to be a fantastic movie, but it just didn't do it for me. Maybe I have to watch it again. I am really surprised about the reviews for this movie, I think I've read one bad review and I really thought there would be many bad reviews. This is by far my favorite genre and I am pretty upset that I didn't like this movie.

***SPOILERS*** A bit confusing in the end "Haunted" still is as good a haunted movie that's to come out of Hollywood since the all-time haunted house horror classic film "The Haunting" back in 1963.In "Haunted" we have Chicago Uiversity psychology professor, and famed debunker of the paranormal, Dr. David Ash,Aidan Quinn, travel England back in 1928 to investigate the Mariell Mansion that's reported to be haunted by an evil spirit by one of its occupants Nanny Webb, Anna Massey. David soon falls in love with the lady of the house Christian Mariell, Kate Beckinsale, who meets him at the train station and drives him to the mansion.At the spacious mansion David is introduced to Christina's two brothers the overly serious Robert, Anthony Andrews, and joker and in house comedian Simon, Alex Lowe, who together with Christina spend almost all their time doing nothing but partying around and skinny-dipping in the in the outdoor lake. Even though the astute David sees nothing supernatural in Nanny Webb's observations he does see that the Mariell children are somehow totally indifferent to her as if she doesn't even exist at all. As for Nanny Webb she's terrified of them even more then the ghost of Mrs. Mariell that she claims to be haunting the Mansion!***SPOILER ALERT*** David himself becomes convinced in Nanny Webb's statements of supernatural occurrences at the Mariell Mansion not by seeing the late Mrs. Mariell but in seeing his own long deceased twin sister Juliet, Victoria Shalet. Juliet is trying to get David to leave the premises before something very awful and terrible happens to him. Something that's been planned in advance to happen to David by the Mariell children who are not what they at first seem to be!Nanny Webb has carried this terrible secret about what really happened to the late Mrs. Mariell since back on that cold February day in 1923. It was the circumstances of Mrs. Mariell's tragic death and what she did after that that has driven Nanny Webb to the brink of madness. A madness that was soon to engulf David Ash in a web of incest murder and arson that will change his opinions about haunted houses ghosts and the supernatural forever!