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As many of you have probably read elsewhere, The Haunting is
not currently considered great cinema. The early preview screenings
have become near-legendary in Hollywood, with critics and audiences
alike laughing at the screen instead of screaming. Yet it was
a worldwide hit when released this past summer, so whatever the
film's failings may be, it does have a modicum of entertainment
value, if not always in the spirit intended.
Perhaps The Haunting's main failing is concentrating on the special
effects instead of the human characters. Jan De Bont, a filmmaker
not known for his subtlety, is a mismatch with the material. Over
the top when it should be sublime, he tries for the big "Boo!"
when we should only be getting goosebumps. That said, there are
things to admire in this film. The photography is quite nice,
and complements the bizarrely lavish production design well. I
also was impressed by the mechanical effects in the film, which
obviously required a lot of ingenuity, and some of the CG characters
was impressive, especially the ghostly chorus children. Yes, I'm
stretching.
Of course, it is impossible to talk about The Haunting without
mentioning some of the unintentionally funny aspects of the film.
Let's start with the cast. Certainly there are many a fine actor
here, all wasted, even the ever-dependable Lili Taylor (although
even she is upstaged by the best actor of them all, the house
itself.) But special mention must go to a floundering Liam Neeson,
who looks on the verge of tears after filming this back-to-back
with The Phantom Menace. (Hint for Mr. Neeson: avoid any movies
with blue screen in them from now on.) But best of all is Catherine
Zeta-Jones, who spends the film sashaying around like she's at
The Addams Family fashion show, and constantly reminding us that,
yes, her character is bisexual.
After a decent setup (the house is creepy), it's all downhill
until we get to the absolutely absurd climax. If the poor CGI
wasn't bad enough, the last half hour of this movie suffers from
the usual bad haunted house cliches. Actors run from room to room,
screaming names at random, until all converge together to face
the Final Evil. The incredulous dialogue ("It's about family!")
only makes one wish they were watching Poltergeist IV instead.
This one has to be seen to be believed. Eeek!
Video: How Does The Disc Look?
The anamorphic widescreen image is identical on both the Dolby
Digital and DTS versions. The Haunting is presented in 2.35:1
anamorphic widescreen, and the transfer is outstanding. Colors
are deep and saturated, rendering Hill House's richly textured
production design vividly. There are a lot of red and brown tones
in the carpets and decor that look fantastic and create the desired
somber look for the film. Fleshtones are as natural and appealing
as I've seen on DVD. There are not artifacts of any kind. Only
the slightest lack in fine detail and a picture that is sometimes
just short of three-dimensional keep this disc from being absolute
reference quality. This is one a terrific-looking DVD.
Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?
The Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX track of The Haunting was considered
by many to be a reference soundtrack when it was released on DVD
in November of 1999. The new DTS version improves on pretty much
every aspect of that experience with higher resolution and expanded
dynamics. While the DD release was sourced from a 16 bit master,
the 754kbps DTS release relies on a newly created 24 bit 6.1 discrete
master.
There's an element of control to the DTS that seems lacking on
the Dolby when both are pitted against each other. The opening
of chapter 9 was a prime example of this as Liam Neeson's voice
seemed a hair too loud and very slightly strained on the Dolby
with certain words resonating oddly in the ear. The DTS version
of the same scene sounded richer and more natural in the vocals
throughout, without any of the slightly forced sound that accompanied
the Dolby. Without comparisons, you don't really notice it, but
put up against each other the differences become quite a bit more
apparent.
The sound mapping of the film is more precise in the DTS version,
with the soundfield taking up the entire room. Sounds are exceptionally
placed, not only in between speakers around the edges, but into
the listening space as sounds float through the middle of the
room from corner to corner. The DTS also allows intricate details
of the mix to be heard more clearly. As Eleanor scrambles to find
things on a table, the shuffling of objects is clean and natural
sounding, never obscured as the Dolby sometimes can be.
The extended dynamics are most apparent in the expanded lower
end that the DTS amply supplies. The Dolby, remaining slightly
more in the boomy mid-bass throughout the film, lacks the true
sub-harmonic pounding that the DTS continuously hits you with.
I felt literal waves of low frequency pass through me that were
very unnerving. This is repeated throughout with, bar none, the
lowest, tightest bass ever heard (or felt) in a soundtrack. I
warn you now, The Haunting, far more than any other soundtrack
experience, can be a threat to almost any home theater if care
is not employed when playing.
The disc also contains the matrix center back channel that the
original Dolby release used to great use. Again here, the back
channel is used to bring a bit more creative reality to the film
with more cohesive panning from left surround to right surround.
While Lili Taylor is being chased, the sound of her impending
doom can be heard directly behind you, suddenly throwing you into
the room with her. Music, effects and even the creepy voices of
haunting children are placed behind you, where you never see the
danger coming.
The DTS edition of The Haunting represents one of the best, most
aggressive sound experiences you'll ever have. The improvements
audible in this release make for a completely compelling reason
to replace the older release. While I know that a direct comparison
between the 16 bit DD and 24 bit DTS seems irrelevant, the end
definitely justifies the means. The soundtrack on the original
release of The Haunting was great, but this new Dreamworks release,
with the added depth of DTS, is extraordinary.
In addition to the matrix back surround channel, a completely
discrete center back has been placed in the soundtrack. With appropriate
decoding, this discrete center back can be extracted for an even
more heightened experience. It is important to note that the disc
is compatible with all current DTS hardware and can play in 5.1,
5.1 with matrixed center back channel or 6.1 with discrete center
back channel.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There?
The DTS release of The Haunting presents all of the supplements
previously included on the Dolby Digital release.
The main extra is the 26-minute behind the scenes featurette,
although it could be argued that no one should ever learn how
to make a film like this. One of the interesting things is that
everyone in the documentary keeps referring to The Haunting as
a psychological, character-driven horror movie. I can't help but
think they've got a different movie in mind. Wisely, the featurette,
which is narrated by Ms. Zeta-Jones, focuses a lot on the design
of the house and the production, and features interviews with
all the main cast and crew.
Though the featurette is the only major supplement of note (which
is surprising for a DreamWorks Signature Selection), it's there
along with cast and crew filmographies and production
notes. And as mentioned, the teaser trailer and the
full-length trailer, which is not quite as good as it highlights
the CGI effects, which are ironically the weakest aspect of the
movie.
DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc
in your PC?
No ROM extras have been included.
Parting Thoughts
The tide has turned for DTS and its acceptors. Extras and disc
space are not the brick wall issues that they once were and DreamWorks
has provided fans of the film (all two of you) with as much bang
for the buck that the prior Dolby release offered. I have to admit
that even though the movie leaves me cold, the DTS soundtrack
is cool enough to make me want to own this disc.
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