***contains spoilers for the book The Haunting of Hill House
The Haunting wasn't a bad film at all. But compared to Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, it hardly holds up. As someone who's an enormous fan of the book, it hurts to see the characters that Jackson created so carefully misinterpreted. For instance, Eleanor has no feelings for the doctor in the book, and his wife only really exists as comic relief. The addition of this subplot felt unnecessary and very much against the spirit of the book. Luke is far more likable in the book, and the callous, obnoxious version of him in the film is almost unrecognizable. Additionally, perhaps the most unsettling scene from the novel was removed- when Eleanor and Theodora experience a vision while walking outside the house. I liked the cinematography, and the exterior of the house that was used was nearly perfect, but overall, The Haunting feels like the director only skimmed the novel that his film was based on. I look forward to the upcoming Netflix adaption of Hill House, and can only hope the creative team will stay true to the novel's plot.
The Haunting wasn't a bad film at all. But compared to Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, it hardly holds up. As someone who's an enormous fan of the book, it hurts to see the characters that Jackson created so carefully misinterpreted. For instance, Eleanor has no feelings for the doctor in the book, and his wife only really exists as comic relief. The addition of this subplot felt unnecessary and very much against the spirit of the book. Luke is far more likable in the book, and the callous, obnoxious version of him in the film is almost unrecognizable. Additionally, perhaps the most unsettling scene from the novel was removed- when Eleanor and Theodora experience a vision while walking outside the house. I liked the cinematography, and the exterior of the house that was used was nearly perfect, but overall, The Haunting feels like the director only skimmed the novel that his film was based on. I look forward to the upcoming Netflix adaption of Hill House, and can only hope the creative team will stay true to the novel's plot.