The Unforgettable Triumph of Mike Flanagan's Haunting of Hill House: A Resurrection of Horror After 19 Years
Mike Flanagan's Haunting Of Hill House triumphantly redeems a critically panned 1999 adaptation, showcasing his mastery of horror and captivating storytelling
Summary
The Haunting of Hill House, adapted by Mike Flanagan in 2018 for Netflix, skillfully managed to capture the enigmatic essence of Shirley Jackson's novel. Flanagan also incorporated his own artistic freedom, enhancing the overall experience.
The 1999 film adaptation of The Haunting received criticism due to its outdated CGI ghosts and questionable casting choices, deviating from Jackson's original text.
In contrast, Flanagan's The Haunting of Hill House successfully redeemed the reputation of the novel's screen adaptations. It offered an emotionally charged retelling that remained faithful to the essence of Jackson's work.
The 2018 Netflix series, The Haunting of Hill House, directed by Mike Flanagan, redeemed a disastrous horror movie released almost twenty years prior. Inspired by Shirley Jackson’s iconic 1959 novel, The Haunting of Hill House is considered a significant contribution to the psychological horror subgenre. Flanagan successfully maintained the original story's tantalizing uncertainty by skillfully incorporating the element of characters possibly being haunted. Unlike previous adaptations, Flanagan's emotionally charged retelling preserved the enigmatic nature of the narrative, blurring the line between reality and imagination. Despite taking creative liberties, the essence of Jackson's novel was effectively captured in this adaptation.
Flanagan's Haunting Of Hill House Redeemed Critically Panned 1999 Movie Adaptation
The Haunting from 1999 initially stayed true to Jackson's original novel, starting with uninteresting opening scenes that depicted a group of mismatched individuals participating in a scientific study while staying in a house rumored to be haunted. However, the remake quickly derailed as Owen Wilson and Catherine Zeta-Jones delivered exaggerated and comedic performances, which contrasted sharply with the serious approach taken by co-stars Lili Taylor and Liam Neeson. Nevertheless, the lack of chemistry among the cast was the least of The Haunting's problems. The film also featured laughably outdated CGI ghosts, a death scene involving a slip-and-slide, and glaring miscasting that added to its comically confused nature.
Why The Haunting 1999 Had Such Terrible Reviews
The Haunting suffered greatly when the remake tried to clarify the paranormal occurrences depicted in the book. While Jackson purposely left the supernatural elements of the narrative undefined, The Haunting concluded with a ludicrous finale in which Wilson's head was severed by a fireplace and the main character fought a massive blob created using CGI. The subtlety and ambiguity present in Jackson's work were completely disregarded in The Haunting's ending, leading to overwhelmingly negative reviews due to its cartoonish and inadvertently comical visual effects. Fortunately, Mike Flanagan's The Haunting of Hill House restored the esteemed status of Jackson's timeless masterpiece nearly two decades later.
