Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex
Maybe the crowd simply grew bored because, quite frankly (and I saw the rest of it the other night and mostly say this to tweak at Steve though I am being honest in my opinion), The Haunting sucks and the only way to enjoy it is ironcally.
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It isn't a fast-moving picture, of course. It is moody and atmospheric, taking a lot of time to get around to stuff a-happenin'. It is a classic Haunted House movie, one of the absolute best. Not only because it is creepy, but because it can be analyzed in so many different ways (I remember writing a paper back in college on the sexuality present in The Haunting). It is quite multilayered with interesting characters.
Yes, Eleanor is a repressed twit (or a repressed twa*, depending on your viewpoint). She has a semi-idiotic internal dialogue. But that doesn't make the movie "suck" (granted, you aren't giving us reasons for your opinion).
Perhaps the audience at the screening was expecting Hostel Part 3, or a William Castle campfest (noooooo I take it back, I doubt they know who William Castle was).
The Haunting is certainly NOT meant to be ironic. But perhaps with our 21st century jaded sensibilities, it can no longer be enjoyed on the big screen with a large audience. (Or a very large, very drunk/stoned audience, which is what I thought was rather obnoxious at "Gilda"... I mean..... come on, Gilda is NOT a "better enjoyed stoned" type of movie. Plus that is no excuse for simply turning around and having drunken/stoned conversations loudly with your friends that have nothing to do with the movie, i.e. at Gilda).
"Night of the Living Dead" is the same way... it's pretty damn scary when you watch it alone or with a friend late at night. But with a "Haunting" audience like the one on Saturday? I'd avoid it like a zombie plague.
I remember going to a screening of "The Exorcist" when they added new footage a few years back. The audience was laughing hysterically at what was once horrific.