The Plot:
Pediatrician Francesca is having a hard time with post-partum depression. Her husband is concerned for her well-being, along with the continued health of their new baby boy. Hoping that a move to the country will calm her nerves, Pedro uproots the brood and moves them into a massive house out in the sticks. Previously a home for orphaned children, it was also the site of several Church-related incidents. Almost immediately, Francesca is hearing and seeing things. Her spouse thinks her illness is getting worse. But when a weird old lady shows up, arguing about the location's terrifying past, the couple seeks advise from a wayward priest/psychiatrist with his own complicated history. Eventually, all paths lead to the work of the Franco-era No-Do Newsreel people. Reporting on religious miracles all over Spain, there is some special film of Francesca and Pedro's home - and when they finally get a chance to see it, what they discover just how deep the evil within it dwells.

The DVD:
If it stays in this crappy, god-awful dubbed version, The Haunting (granted, the original No-Do: The Beckoning title is no better), will be a trial for even the most seasoned fright film buff. The new English soundtrack is just awful - Sandy Frank interpreting Gamera awful. The voices do not match the cast, and even worse, the emotions do not match the gestures or facial expressions onscreen. Every time the lame Western actors speak, they undermine everything filmmaker Elio Quiroga wants to accomplish. So it says a lot about what he manages to do in between the mangled bouts of pigeon English. For the most part, The Haunting is a success. It gives us a novel spin on the whole creepy villa ideal, even tossing in a little CrucifiX-files into the mix for good measure. Indeed, had the movie really explored the miracles busters employed by the Church in the early part of the 20th century, had they gone more into the priest's prior cases and ability to debunk even the most carefully constructed ruse, we'd have a real winner. Instead, Quiroga wants to have his unusual approach and specter it up as well. The results still work, just not as well as they could have.

Indeed, when the "dirty girls" show up, looking like outcasts from the Madrid version of Disney's Haunted Mansion, the collective groan from the fright film fanbase must be audible. They aren't terrifying...they're terrible. At the beginning of the film, we saw clips of a No-Do newsreel where a little boy summons what appears to be some incredibly lanky demons. It's wonderful. But whenever Francesca, or Pedro, or the priest see these rotoscoped phantoms, our horror heart sinks a bit. Luckily, Quiroga throws in a few more frightmare images to keep us engaged (including a surprise scorpion like creature made out of discarded doll parts). The set design also helps maintain the mood. Why people agree to move into decrepit old houses, sight unseen, just to learn that both their basement and attic are off limit (and worse, crawling with wall to wall spirits) is astonishing. That Francesca and Pedro both stay, even after the alien blood writing on the wall and the various dark cloud manifestations make themselves known is a phenomenon only a true Catholic crusader could explain. And of course, The Haunting has a twist. Actually, there's a couple. One is viable and supports much of what we've seen. The other two are obvious and act like buffers to us getting really absorbed in the story.

Still, for all its faults, The Haunting works. Quiroga has a great way with dread, building up suspense even as he's driving the audience to distraction with his Nine Inch Nails music video like editing style. Luckily, much of his "Closer" obsession ends once Francesca and Pedro move in. He also gets a good performance out of star Anna Torrent. Even with her bad English vocal counterpart, she has a sunken face that wears torment very well. We believe her pain and want to find a way to help her cure it. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for her one note hubby or the snooty hospital shrink who believes our heroine is unsound just because she baptizes a dead infant (it's not like she killed the child, just felt sorry for its perplexing religious afterlife options, that's all). As we make our way around a decidedly horrifying old home, as the psycho old coot comes calling every now and again to rant and rave, as the building reverberates with the terrifying sounds of Hell, The Haunting wins us over. It's a rough journey from subpar to successful. Luckily, Elio Quiroga and his vision make it a somewhat easy trip to endure.

The Video:
As per this critic's policy, Screener copies of DVDs are not awarded points for video or audio. If Lightning Media does send a final product version of The Haunting to the site, this paragraph will be updated accordingly.

The Audio:
As per this critic's policy, Screener copies of DVDs are not awarded points for video or audio. If Lightning Media does send a final product version of The Haunting to the site, this paragraph will be updated accordingly.

The Extras:
This Screener copy of The Haunting only contained the movie. No bonus features. If Lightning Media does send a final product version of The Haunting to the site, this paragraph will be updated accordingly.

Final Thoughts:
You'll have to plow through some particularly prickly motion picture problems, but if you're patient, The Haunting will reward your scary movie staying power. Of course, should Lightning Media decide to stay with the horrendous dub job given this film (without an original Spanish language option) a Skip It won't be strong enough. For now, we will assume that cooler commercial heads will prevail and the forthcoming package will present several audio options. Until then, the current presentation deserves a definite Recommended rating. It's nothing really new or novel - well, the Church ghost-busters angle seems somewhat original - but it's delivered in a way that will get under your skin, eventually. The haunted house is a hoary old cliche indeed. The Haunting tries to make it viable again, and despite some obvious cinematic setbacks, it does.

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