Movie Reviews: Tha Haunting Of Hill House

 

Directed by: Jan De Bont

Screenplay by: David Self

Running Time: 114 Minutes

Country: USA

Language: English

Music by: Jerry Goldsmith

Genre: Horror

Stars: Lian Nelson as Dr. David Marrow

Catherine Zeta - Jones As Theodora

 as Eleanor "Nell" Vance

Owen Wilson as Luke Sanderson

Other Characters:

Bruce Dern as Mr. Dudley

Marian Seldes as Mrs. Dudley

Virginia Madsen as Jane Vance

Charles Gunning as Hugh Crain

Based On The Novel: The Haunting Of Hill House, Written by: Shirley Jackson

 

Plot

 

In the first scene Eleanor is described as a weak person, and psychologically unstable, she does not object to the petty provocations of his sister Jane Vance.

After having received a phone call, she takes her car toward Hill House (later it turns out that it wasn't Doctor David Marrow who called her, but the spirits of the house on the hill)

She arrives in front of a majestic gate and a huge padlock with a mighty chain, which will be opened by Mr. Dudley.

Once entered inside the mansion Eleanor remains fascinated by sculptures and furniture, she feels at home and happy. The second person to arrive is Theodora; between the two there is a mutual friendship, then arrives the others.

Mrs. Dudley and her husband, Mr. Dudley, appear aloof and remain there only long enough to explain the rules.

After sunset, the house takes center stage. Strange noises are heard, amplified noises and the portraits seem to observe the guests, and the children carved from precious wood who seem to observe Eleanor.

At the centre of the mansion there is a staircase with sculptures of birds of prey on the sides, and on the first floor, a disturbing portrait of the owner, Hugh Crain, glares at the people passing by.

The first twist is when Mr. Hugh Crain's portrait bears a sign telling Eleanor she's welcome.

Other terrifying scenes include the intense cold, being summer, and the curtains blowing in the wind, which take the form of children talking to Eleanor.

Eleanor follows drops of blood on the floor, leading her to a door that leads to a basement. The children's voices tell her to read the register in front of her, and she discovers that this man has killed numerous children and forced his wife, Caroline, who closely resembles Eleanor, to commit suicide.

At the children's suggestion, Eleanor positions herself in front of a door where suffering adults and children are depicted. Hugh Crain's spirit takes shape as he kills Eleanor. He is captured by powerful figures emerging from the door and then imprisoned forever. His face will take the place of the children Eleanor frees, and he will live with them for eternity in spirit form.

The language focuses on Eleanor, her fragility, and her psychological instability.

The conflict is the battle between science, represented by Doctor David Marrow, and the supernatural, played by Eleanor Vance.

Evil is represented by Hugh Crain (in the form of a spirit).

The initial situation is when Eleanor runs away from home for Hill House after being humiliated by her sister, Jane Vance.

In the finale, Eleanor will sacrifice herself to free the souls of the children trapped by Hugh Crain.

The most terrifying scene is when the wind moves the enormous white curtains, which shape little girls begging Eleanor to free them, and then the intense cold in Eleanor's room in the middle of summer.