The Haunting(1999)
1999 · Jan de Bont · 113 min
Dr. David Marrow invites three distinct individuals to the eerie and isolated Hill House to be subjects for a sleep disorder study. The unfortunate guests discover that Marrow is far more interested in the sinister mansion itself — and they soon see the true nature of its horror.
Horror · Thriller · Fantasy · Mystery
5.51.6k votes
TMDB score
2/5
Intensity
1/5
Gore
1/5
Stays with you
How The Haunting scares
It opens slow, with a moody setup at a huge old mansion, but quickly shifts into a parade of big, loud jump scares and CGI-driven ghost effects once the house starts acting up. The scares lean more toward spectacle than dread, with carved faces, moving statues, and sudden visual shocks doing most of the work rather than slow-building unease. There's almost no blood or gore here, and the threat stays firmly in ghost-and-curse territory rather than anything human. It's the kind of horror movie you watch for the visuals and the occasional startle, not one that's going to stick with you after the credits roll.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, The Haunting rates psychological 2/5, visceral 2/5, gore 1/5, lingering effect 1/5, and overall intensity 2/5.
- Psychological: 2 of 5
- Visceral: 2 of 5
- Gore: 1 of 5
- Lingering: 1 of 5
- Intensity: 2 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 72 of 100 — leans Jump scares
Supernatural vs Real-world: 10 of 100 — leans Supernatural
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 25 of 100 — leans Fun-scary
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
A slow-build haunted-house tale that gradually escalates from quiet unease into a big, effects-heavy climax.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 4.
How scary is The Haunting?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, The Haunting rates 2/5 — moderately scary, delivering its fear through jump scares more than lingering dread. It works on both fronts, unsettling the mind while going for the body. Expect it to be restrained with gore and fun-first. The dread fades once the credits roll.
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