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Click above to purchase "Haunted" at amazon.com
Haunted
review by Anthony D.
Studio: Artisan Home Entertainment
Running Time: 109 minutes
Starring Aidan Quinn, Kate Bekinsale, Sir John
Gielgud, Anna Massey, Anthony Andrews
Written by Lewis Gilbert
Based on the novel by James Herbert
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Retail Price: $14.98
Features: None
Specs: 1.33:1 Full Frame, English Dolby Digital 2.0,
English Closed Captions, Scenes Access (19 Scenes)
For some bizarre reason, ghost stories - or ghostly
tales, are a rare cinematic breed. Few, if any can live up
to the expectations set by 1944's "The Uninvited," 1961's
"The Innocents," 1963's "The Haunting," or 1972's "The
Other." This past summer critics found the Nicole
Kidman-starrer, "The Others" to be a refreshing return to
the difficult genre. On the other hand, ghost stories as
comedies have virtually thrived while the true ghost story
has withered on the development lists.
1995's "Haunted," produced by Francis Ford Coppola,
though not a great ghost story, is certainly well above
average, and film likely to win some champions. Adapted from
a novel by James Herbert, and directed with a flair from
former James Bond director Lewis Gilbert, "Haunted" takes on
various ghostly guises, as well as several cliches, to weave
its supernatural spell over the viewer.
The vastly underrated Aiden Quinn ("Reckless," "Legends
of the Fall") David, a professor whose specialty is
debunking the paranormal. (Gillian Anderson could have
played a distaff version of David with a little re-writing).
In a brief prologue, we are introduced to David as a child,
playing with his kid sister, who is accidently drowned. This
central event of David's youth, has haunted him even into
maturity, making him the first of the "haunted" characters
in the film. Before being invited to the next place of
haunting, we witness a scene of David involved in seance,
where he masterfully unmasks the medium. David receives, and
replies positively to a request to investigate the tragic
haunting of "Nanny," the stalwart servant at the Edbrook
country manse.
He is met at the station by the charmingly disarming
Christina, the very lovely and gifted Kate Beckensale
("Pearl Harbor," "Cold Comfort Farm") driving an
immaculately kept roadster, even though she states that she
never learned to drive. Once at Edbrook, things get a little
creepy as we are introduced to the other residences of the
haunted property: Chirstina's near-incestous Mariell
brothers played with brio by "Brideshead Revisited's"
Anthony Andrews and Alex Low. These guys are really creepy,
though they act very naturally. Nude paintings of Christina
adorn the studio, they, nor Christina, think nothing of
hopping into the lake for a brisk skinny dip, yet there is
something a little off-putting in all their comings and
goings. Nanny, the great Anna Massey, is seen speaking to
invisible forces, and crying. In a sedate moment, Nanny
divulges the family history to David, a history which might
just be a total fiction. Nanny's only other comfort in her
haunted state, is the kindly country doctor, who makes house
calls to offer medical advice. John Gielgud was a remarkable
talent, and even with his brief appearance here, he once
again demonstrates his superior acting ability.
Once settled into the manse, David begins to feel the
haunting presence of his departed sister amongst the
sinister trappings: flickering gaslights, storms that seem
to be alive with murderous intentions and a really great
depiction of a conflagration which isn't what it seems to be
either. With all the pieces in place, so to speak: a sordid
family, secrets and lies, strange doings and things that go
bump in the night, the stage is set for a suspenseful
denouement, which this writer will not spoil. Suffice it to
say, that the ending will force the viewer to re-examine all
that had transpired up to that point in a different light.
Relying less on ghostly imagery, and concentrating
instead on the effects of the paranormal on normal
individuals, Lewis Gilbert has crafted a fine film. All the
elements; air, water, fire and earth conspire together to
create a ripping yarn of haunted souls and houses. It's not
that often that ripping yarns are told these days, but the
sure-fire team both in front of and behind the camera, allow
"Haunted" to be a believable entry in the great gallery of
ghostly doings on film.
"Haunted" is presented in a full-screen transfer, with
little or no noticeable information gained or lost.
Gilbert's color palette is remarkably subdued, possibly due
to an inclination to film with a monochromatic template, but
still the picture is not without flaws. The gray scale is
lacking, and as such, blacks are not rich and heavy.
Fleshtones are merely adequate, edging to a paleness
appropriate for the genre. At times colors blotch out from
within their boundaries, leaving a halo-effect. Grain is
evident, mostly in the limited SPX shots. It's not sumptuous
film, but the transfer surely could have been tweaked a
little.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 English soundtrack, like the
transfer, is a muted affair. The musical score is spread
out, with a few jolts of ambient sound to the rears. With
the exception of Quinn, who has a tendency to speak as if
with a closed-mouth, the dialogue is crisply reproduced.
John Gielgud's Shakespearian tones ring true. The disc has
been encoded with Closed Captioning in English for the
Hearing Impaired.
Artisan has gone barely even bare-bones for this
production. As promised, there are Interactive Menus for
easy Scene Access to the 19 Chapters; other than that,
nothing.
It's good to see the ghost story told well; and if more
people check out "Haunted," either as a rental or a
purchase, then the genre will not become a ghost of its
former self. "Haunted" is a credible entry in the genre, and
in spite of the lack of Special Features, I found myself
mesmerized enough by the film (which previously I had only
encountered half of one late night on Cinemax) to find it a
compelling, if minor, entry into the ghostly record.
 (3.5/5 - NOT included in
final score)
 (2.5/5)
 (2/5)
 (0/5)
(3.5/5, NOT an average)
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