I had seen the remake first, The Haunting (1999), back in 2000 and did not like it. This, the original, was a disappointment too. I found the remake boring, and the original, despite some solid acting (and pleasant in-camera and overlay effects), was more silly than frightening. Julie Harris as Eleanor Lance and Richard Johnson as Dr. John Markway are good here, but their actions don't lead to anything profound. There are no scares that make the film memorable; it's just blah. The 4K restoration I watched looks and sounds great, and for horror fans, it's semi-worth watching if one has the time, mostly for Julie Harris, who is the poster child for guilt in this film. The remake, starring an all-star cast, stalls after a strong start and becomes bogged down with silly special effects, noise and a boring resolution. However, some parts are nice to look at. In comparison, I would watch the remakes of House on Haunted Hill (1999) or 13 Ghosts (2001) from the same time period. They have a fun visual energy that both Hauntings lack.
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