i guess I wasn't that impressed with it. It would be nice to say that the slow build-up is a directorial conceit, but it looks like Wise does a lot of his movies (Star Trek I, Andromeda Strain) that way. Sometimes this works (Andromeda), sometimes it doesn't (ST I), and sometimes the result is somewhere in-between. The main problem I have with the movie is motivation: even Eleanor seems to be more nuts than anything else. What motivates the house? What drives it? Is it just evil, or selfish (wanting Eleanor to stay with it?), or what?
As such, the House lacks the personality of, say, The Shining's hotel, and giving it such could have boosted the movie a bit. Richard Johnson doesn't do much for me as the narrator (he kinda reminds me of Vincent Price here), and there's too much focus on Eleanor, which never really becomes a sympathetic character.
On the other hand, yes, Haunting is a terrifying movie. The "horror" moments are well done. You can see where Sam Raimi got some of his inspiration for the Evil Dead movies. But ultimately, I found that the movie just dragged a bit too much.
As such, the House lacks the personality of, say, The Shining's hotel, and giving it such could have boosted the movie a bit. Richard Johnson doesn't do much for me as the narrator (he kinda reminds me of Vincent Price here), and there's too much focus on Eleanor, which never really becomes a sympathetic character.
On the other hand, yes, Haunting is a terrifying movie. The "horror" moments are well done. You can see where Sam Raimi got some of his inspiration for the Evil Dead movies. But ultimately, I found that the movie just dragged a bit too much.