Haunted

***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!

The film is much better than the book... brilliant atmosphere and simple ghost story... big question at the end

Please adopt the 2nd book as ghosts of sleith was a cracking book

Rating: ** out of ****

Haunted is probably a slightly better movie than I'm giving it credit for, but after having seen so many similarly themed supernatural dramas the past few years, this one just didn't have the impact on me it could have had if I'd seen it back in '95. So take that into account for both my rating and my review.

Set mostly in the English countryside in the early 1900s, Aidan Quinn stars as David Ash, a professor who spends his time debunking the supernatural. His latest investigation takes him to a country manor occupied by three siblings (two brothers and a sister played by the gorgeous Kate Beckinsale) and their housekeeper, who claims the estate is haunted.

Initially, the strangest oddities Ash notices is the pseudo-incestuous way the siblings act around each other; the older brother paints the sister, Christina, in the nude, and she and the younger brother often go skinny-dipping in the lake together. Still, Ash finds himself falling for the lovely Christina, even as he ponders the history of the manor, its occupants, and the secret behind this haunting.

By most standards, Haunted is not a bad movie. In fact, it's got plenty of merit. The cinematography and locations are beautiful, the pacing is rather brisk despite the fact very little actually happens on-screen, and Kate Beckinsale is so breathtakingly gorgeous it's hard to believe a person could be so naturally luminous. I would wager anyone new to the genre would probably enjoy the movie quite a bit.

But as someone expecting something innovative or original, the film just didn't do it for me. From the beginning, the climactic twist is blatantly obvious, and unlike the later films this twist inspired, it's not structured in such a manner that you'd gain a new appreciation of the film by re-observing the hints.

While I gather that the film is partly a romantic drama, the tone and atmosphere are a little too light, such that when the film does attempt its scares they never fully work (this is the kind of horror movie that'd work well for those who generally don't like horror). It surely doesn't help that few of the characters even seem concerned the manor might be haunted.

But as a romantic drama, the film is a moderate success. Aidan Quinn makes a likable enough protagonist and Kate Beckinsale is not only a physically wondrous presence (I would have been inclined to bump the rating up if her nude scenes had been genuine), she's immensely charming and appealing as well. There's enough solid chemistry between the two to sustain a large portion of the film.

But even this story stumbles pretty badly once it intersects with the haunted manor plot, both leading to an unsatisfying ending. Come to think of it, even if I had seen the film in its initial release, the twist might have worked as a genuine surprise, but it really harms the film more than it helps, so perhaps it makes little difference the twist is so obvious.

I have little regret of the time and money I spent to watch the film; it's still going to be required viewing for Beckinsale fans (like myself) who'll watch her in just about anything. But with so many superior entries in the genre, the film otherwise wouldn't be worth mentioning without her.

This movie must not have gotten much attention when it was released because I had never even heard of it when I happened to catch it on a cable movie channel. As somebody who likes spooky (but not conventional horror/ gross-out) films, I found it to be a real sleeper.

The story is about a psychologist who specializes in debunking the supernatural and his becoming a house-guest in an old mansion that one resident claims is haunted. For a while, the plot remains pretty conventional, with a lot of strange and unexplained events that may or may not be practical jokes, dreams, psychological delusions, or a real ghost. But before it is over, there are several twists that I did not expect and had not seen before. Give yourself a treat. This one has been largely overlooked.

I think the summary about says it all. It has twists and turns and has you guessing all the way through it. And in the end, you find out you were possibly fooled all the time. It was scary at times and I would rate it as an excellent film of this genre. I must admit, that I am a real fan of this type of film.