PodBill Just what I expected

Limerculer A waste of 90 minutes of my life

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Anoushka Slater While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

clmrshll-203-370035 I Loved the book and found it very scary and atmospheric. The description of the gradual dilapidation of the house and the increasingly disturbing events was paced very well as was the the shocking ending. However in the film many crucial bits are missing or have been totally altered. The vital precursor to the main plot, regarding Ash's sister was changed completely, as she was portrayed in the film as kind and benevolent whereas in the book she was viciously cruel to Ash whilst alive and dead. The whole point being that his dead sister and the ghostly family gang up on Ash to a prove him wrong and drive him mad. This aspect is mainly omitted. I can't see why the the film was reset to the twenties. Again in the book Ash is a flawed character - seedy, alcoholic and guilt ridden not a dashing professional. As eluded to elsewhere the incest angle between brother and sister was quite an invention of the film and may have been included as an excuse to portray much female nudity both real and canvas born. Many of the details of the book that show Ash's increasing horror that the family are phantoms, such as a one sided conversation on a tape recorder and the bed he shared with Christina obviously having been slept in by only him are brushed over. A whole episode in the book where Ash does debunk some hoaxers in a supposedly haunted church is missed out too.Admittedly as a stand alone ghost movie it is not bad but it cannot be called a close adaption of the book.

mannin11 Good acting in a tired and predictable story. Great performance from Aiden Quinn, invited to a Gothic manor to investigate supposed ghosts lurking within. A hokey attempt to sex-up the story with an incestuous triangle between Kate Beckinsale and her two brothers. The story, set in the 1920's, has all the appearance of the wholesome, lackluster British family movies made in the 1950's. You almost expect Heidi to come tripping over the lush green hills. Recommended as one of the spookier movies around, the performances are all good, by actors who know their craft, but the movie is directed like a Hallmark Hall of Fame love story, devoid of any tension and wholly derivative in its execution. A complete lack of pacing that leads to a conclusion you can see coming a mile away. Tired and predictable are the words that apply. A shame as the actors could have done so much more with a more innovative director. A waste of good talent looking for direction.

Spikeopath Haunted is directed by Lewis Gilbert, who co-adapts the screenplay with Bob Kellett and Timothy Prager from the novel written by James Herbert. It stars Aidan Quinn, Kate Beckinsale, Anthony Andrews, Alex Lowe, John Gielgud and Anna Massey. Music is by Debbie Wiseman and cinematography by Tony Pierce-Roberts.Following the accidental death of his twin sister when they were just kids, David Ash (Quinn) has grown up to be a parapsychologist determined to debunk the existence of ghosts. Receiving an invitation from the Mariell family to investigate supernatural activity at their family home, Edbrook House, David accepts and quickly finds his life flipped upside down…It's from the old fashioned school of horror, a period piece of some worth, but not one for anyone looking to be scared out of their wits. Actually the novel by the late great James Herbert was becalmed when judged by his superb standards, so it really will help any potential first time viewer to go into this expecting a more ethereal chiller than anything else.There's an air of romanticism constantly hanging in the air, and with Gilbert nodding towards the likes of The Haunting for his scares and Don't Look Now for the meditation on grief angle, it's a film of mixed blessings. Also nice to see very good period design for the 1920s setting, while Roberts' photography skilfully brings beauty to the English countryside and murkier tones for the inner workings of Edbrook House.Cast are fine, with Quinn and a perky Beckinsale creating good sensual chemistry, and Andrews and Lowe are suitably odd as the clearly off- kilter Mariell brothers. Massey, however, is not challenged by her role and Gilegud is only really filing in for an easy money cameo. It gets away from itself a little in the final stretch, where it's not helped by some shoddy effects work, but there's good value to be had in the picture. With grief, guilt, redemption and incest bubbling away thematically, and the spectral visage of David's dead sister haunting the edges of the frame, film never lacks for literate effort or a sense of unease. The book is much better, mind. 7/10

gretz-569-323863 "Haunted" provides many of the same joys as reading a Miss Marple mystery--a Miss Marple mystery where most of the dramatis personae get naked, that is.Mostly set in the 1920s, it features an outsized English manor house, a professor from "Camberley" College, dressing for dinner, tea at 5pm, a possible ghost, bumps in the night, and lots of family secrets--some of them a little too shocking for Agatha Christie.The performances are top-notch. I've always loved Kate Beckinsale, and it's nice to think that people who only know her from those awful "Underworld" movies may see this and discover she's an actress. Aidan Quinn is also a favorite; even though he tends to be somewhat wooden, I forgive him because he's such an appealing presence. Anthony Andrews is amazing: one of those actors that inhabit a role, as they say. And can John Gielgud give a bad performance? I don't think so.The story is great, if a little thin here and here. I won't spoil the plot twists, but at the end you're likely to be left with nagging questions about why certain characters did certain things in light of certain facts that are now known.But don't let that stop you from watching it. In fact, it'll probably encourage you to watch it again. It does me: this is one of those movies I'll watch any time it's on cable.btw, of all the movies people have compared this to, nobody's mentioned the similarities to "Angels and Insects." A&I is not a ghost story, but it shares with this movie the setting, the atmosphere, and some of the more interesting plot elements.