Episode 117: Jan de Bont’s The Haunting (1999)
Rotten Tomato Score: 17%
Fear should crawl under your skin, not shout in your face—so why does a grand, gorgeous mansion feel so empty of real suspense? We dive into The Haunting (1999) with clear eyes and full receipts, unpacking how a stacked cast, a massive budget, and bold production design still end up smothered by noisy CGI and thin character stakes. From the ethically suspect “sleep study” setup to the locked gates that trap our crew overnight, we examine every red flag and how each choice undercuts tension rather than building it.
We talk pacing that sags between set pieces, performances that veer from muted to melodramatic, and scare design that mistakes volume for dread. The house looks incredible from the outside—moody, imposing, unforgettable—yet inside it feels like a theme park where geography bends to the next effect. Still, a few ideas linger: carved children’s faces that subtly shift their gaze, a single pillowcase “face” that hints at what practical horror could have achieved, and a sound mix whose bass rumbles briefly sell the illusion that the house has a heartbeat.
Along the way, we compare what works in smarter haunted house stories—House on Haunted Hill, The Others, and Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House—and why those tales anchor ghosts to grief, rules, and restraint. We sprinkle in production notes and trivia, from the film’s surprising box office to Spielberg stepping away, and we close with blunt watchability scores. If you love dissecting why some scares age like fine fog and others like frothy absinthe, this one’s for you.
Sinister Sips
The Haunted Asylum
From: BarGPT
Recipe:
1 oz absinthe
1.5 oz Midori (melon liqueur)
0.5 oz lime juice
0.5 oz simple syrup
1 oz pineapple juice
1 splash of club soda
Black food coloring (optional)
Eyeball gummies or lychee fruit (for garnish)
Crushed ice
In a cocktail shaker, combine absinthe, Midori, lime juice, simple syrup, and pineapple juice.
Add a few drops of black food coloring if desired, to enhance the eerie green color.
Fill the shaker with ice and shake vigorously for about 15 seconds to mix and chill the ingredients.
Strain the mixture into a chilled glass filled with crushed ice.
Top with a splash of club soda for a fizzy touch.
Garnish with eyeball gummies or lychee fruit to add a creepy twist.
Plot Summary:
Dr. Marrow enlists Theo, Luke and Nell for a study of sleep disorders at the Hill House. As soon as the terrifying truth about the mansion is revealed, everyone is found fighting for their lives. (Taken from IMDb)
Watchability Scale
Sam and Mike were feeling generous and gave the film a 3. Chad really didn’t enjoy it and gave the film a 1. We placed the film at 2.5 on the Watchability Scale.
Links
Movie Trivia (TV Tropes)