filippaberry84
I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.
Sameer Callahan
It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.
Juana
what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.
Michael Ledo
Blake Blackmon (Steve Daron) who writes horror books goes off to a cabin in Castlerock...no bars, no cable, one radio station...welcome to rural West Virginia. He takes along with him his illustrator and mistress (Guisela Moro- director, writer) for a distraction. In the first 10 minutes we have a ghost, wolf howling, and whispers in the night. But don't pay any attention to this as Guisela Moro never bothered to develop it effectively into the script...oh wait, the baseball came down the steps. Children have gone missing in Castlerock and we are cheerily informed that if an abducted child isn't found in the first three hours, there is a 75% chance the kid is dead. Anyway, not to spoil too much but Angela, our mistress goes missing (we actually know where she is and the entire mystery is revealed) and Blake is a prime suspect because he is from NY and this is by God West Virginia.I felt I was watching a made for TV production. The budget was low and the sound track was mostly lame piano and generic. The characters were not exciting. The Burt Reynolds cameo was terrible. They should have cut it out. Perhaps the biggest surprise was that Eric Robert didn't play that part. I thought this was going to be a ghost story after about 10 minutes, but it wasn't. I am not sure why she tried to confuse the abduction genre with a weak ghost tale. It didn't work.No swearing or nudity. Near sex scene.
akinrs
Enjoyed the film. Story line had the right supernatural touch and moved along well. Kept my interest and had a satisfying conclusion. Loved seeing my home state used in the film also! Thought the actors did very well, and felt the scenes with Burt Reynolds added solidity. I applaud the director/writer and await her next effort.
Nigel P
Married writer Blake Blackman (Steve Daron) and his difficult-to-impress partner, illustrator Angelica Santoro (Guisela Moro), who are having an affair, retreat to a remote cabin in the Appalachian Mountains in order for Blake to commence work on his latest book. The location is beautifully photographed and so stunning, their dog Brandy decides to spend more and more time away from the couple, exploring.Nights spent in the remote log cabin, with the fireside blazing and lashing of the rain outside – it all sounds idyllic. Only the occasional glimpses of ragged, ghost-like children and Blake's looming deadline threaten to ruin things. Angelica disappears after discovering she is pregnant, kidnapped and held hostage (alongside two 'missing' children) by a hillbilly couple residing in the nearby run-down town. The police suspect Blackman of killing her, despite the real kidnappers being such stereotypical inbreeds. The lawmen are stubbornly lackadaisical, even when Burt Reynolds turns up as Seagrass Lambert, whose grandson has disappeared.Despite the disappearance of a number of children, it is only after Blake harangues the inactive police force that they make any investigations at the home of the two outcasts. By this time, the imprisoned Angie is heavily pregnant and there's a growing uncertainty regarding her safety. This tenseness comes very late on in the film. Everything takes so long – Blake's investigations, the delayed action of the police, the lack of horrific incident all conspire to make this a pretty drawn-out experience: at almost two hours, 'The Haunting' long outstays its welcome. A shame, because things could have been tense if 30-45 minutes was shorn from the running time. The idea of spirits of children helping Angie is a nice one, as is the race for time toward the end – but we spend so long getting there, and indeed the finale stretches so long, that any real tension is frittered away.
dusan-22
Common Folks, this is not fair. I haven 't commented on movies here for a pretty long time but gotta say you are being too strict with this movie regarding this four and something rate on IMDb as well as your critiques&comments. First of all, there are much worse movies of that genre having rate over six. Then, lets see what is wrong with this movie? I haven't seen it dull, have you? It has a good pace, some pretty clever directing and scenario and is involving enough. Plot is fine, I haven't had any problems to watch the movie until the end. OK, its pretty much a cliché but hey, what Hollywood movies are not cliché these days - including the blockbusters? Yes, its true that this movie is facing some serious problems with the bad acting but do you guys know how difficult is to collect money for a movie? Do you know how difficult is to make a movie? I know that just partly, must admit, I am not the smart guy. But I know enough to pay the respect to the person who directed this movie, written a scenario and played a main role and did all these things very well. Again, there are some actors I would never call back on the stage but please be advised that not everyone can engage Robert De Niro and Anthony Hopkins in their movie. If you're able to read my comment Guisela, you did a good job, keep on working.
