6. The Haunting
Admittedly, I do not care for Robert Wise’s classic haunted house chiller The Haunting (blasphemy, I know), and I have yet to read the source novel written by Shirley Jackson. That being said, I can appreciate the subtlety and allegory in the original film, specifically in regard to Eleanor’s (Julie Harris) repressed homosexuality. Jan de Bont’s remake retains none of that subtlety and goes for broke as an overblown effects extravaganza with absolutely no legitimate scares whatsoever, unless you count the overabundance of jump scares. One thing the film has going for it is that it certainly looks good. That productions design is on point.
