The Haunting

"Some houses are born bad."

1999 1h 53m EN

😐

5.5

MID

🥫

17%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

5.1

IMDB

★5.5TMDB · 1,599🥫17%Rotten Tomatoes●42Metacritic★5.1IMDB · 85,260

HorrorThrillerFantasyMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Dr. David Marrow invites three distinct individuals to the eerie and isolated Hill House to be subjects for a sleep disorder study. The unfortunate guests discover that Marrow is far more interested in the sinister mansion itself — and they soon see the true nature of its horror.

“Some houses are born bad.”

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Cast

Liam Neeson
Dr. David Marrow
Lili Taylor
Nell
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Theo
Owen Wilson
Luke Sanderson
Bruce Dern
Mr. Dudley
Marian Seldes
Mrs. Dudley
Alix Koromzay
Mary Lambetta
Todd Field
Todd Hackett

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jan de Bont
Writers: David Self, Robert Consing
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $80M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

27 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jan de Bont, shot by Karl Walter Lindenlaub. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Michael Kahn shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Liam Neeson and Lili Taylor and Catherine Zeta-Jones carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Some houses are born bad.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0171363 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jan de Bont directs. Karl Walter Lindenlaub behind the camera. Jerry Goldsmith scores. Michael Kahn cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $80M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
227 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Jan de Bont, shot by Karl Walter Lindenlaub. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Michael Kahn shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Liam Neeson and Lili Taylor and Catherine Zeta-Jones carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Some houses are born bad.".
8IMDB entry: tt0171363 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 23 themes, including "based on novel or book", "painting", "trauma", "halloween".
10Released under 12 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Karl Walter Lindenlaub
Original score: Jerry Goldsmith
Editing: Michael Kahn
Production design: Eugenio Zanetti
Costume design: Ellen Mirojnick
Makeup / hair: Judith A. Cory
VFX supervisor: Phil Tippett
Sound: Gary Rydstrom
Stunt coordinator: Tim A. Davison
Runtime: 113 min · 1h 53m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $80,000,000
Box office: $177,311,151
Return: 222% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: The Haunting (1999)
Rotten Tomatoes: 17% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 42/100
IMDB rating: 5.1/10 · 85,260 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Awards

4 wins & 14 nominations total

Also by

Jan de Bont

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

JPV8522020-10-10
★ 4/10
Pretty good cast, decent enough effects for its time but a lame movie. Saw this one before years ago, didn't care for it then, opinion remains the same today. Makes complete sense why Spielberg had his name removed. 2.0/5

Production companies