Wednesday 4 November 2009

The Haunting


The Haunting was an ok film, but considering I don't like horrors much I wouldn't want to watch it again. However, despite not enjoying it that much, the way it was made I thought was rather clever. The camera shot, such as the one where everyone is in view was well thought of. That gave of the illusion of crowdedness. Another aspect of the film I liked was the fact that there weren't any huge special effects. The only reason the audience gets scared is because they follow the scatter brainy character of the film, whose frame of mind you can't trust. The fact that everything is in your head rather than on screen made this film a lot more eerie than snippets of other horrors I've seen.

The other thing about the film that I liked was the ending. It reminded me of another film I watched in horticulture I think it was. I can't remember the name of the film but I do remember what it was about the ending in 'The Haunting' that reminded me of it. The ending hinted, to me that Eleanor's death was the start of many more to follow. The events would recur to those from the past. The same thing happens in the film 'The Haunting' reminded me of.

The first scene is set on a Victorian farm. I think it's Victorian, I can't really remember. I do remember however it starts in an era before tractors were invented at least. The basic story line is this farmer has 4 children helping on his farm. I can't remember if they're his own children or not. Over the course of time, each child dies in a different accident on the farm. E.g., one of the girl's gets crushed by a cart wheel which is leaning up against the barn side.

The film after all 4 children die, jumps to modern day where a group of 4 children are roaming around their home farm. The farm is the same one from the beginning of the film. The 4 modern day children end up, like the Victorian children in serious accidents. They are exactly the same as the four from the pas, only with present day machinery and buildings. E.g. what was the cart wheel which crushed the Victorian the girl, changes to a single tractor tyre leaning against the side of the barn. However, the ghost of the Victorian farmer still roams the farm because he feels guilty about what happened in the past. So what could have been a repeat of a tragic incident turns into a near miss.

1 comment:

  1. That sounds a like a great movie Lev, good to see that you watched the movie with a critical eye and were able to share your opinions.

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