Haunted Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Haunted Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 20, 2021

Lewis Gilbert's "Haunted" (1995) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new programs with cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts, actor Alex Lowe, and composer Debbie Wiseman; exclusive new audio commentary recorded by critics Kim Newman and Stephen Jones; vintage promotional materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The skeptic

Here’s a film about ghosts that works really well because it does not immediately abandon logic to scare its audience into oblivion. It is the kind of film about ghosts that I prefer. You see, I want to be pulled into that gray area where I can temporarily believe the unbelievable the right way, which means that my mind has to be engaged and made to seriously ponder some rather outrageous scenarios. Films about ghosts that immediately begin to unload all kinds of creepy noises and visuals usually bore me to tears because they reveal lack of imagination. I value atmosphere a lot more than the usual cinematic tricks that are supposed to make me jump in my seat, and proper atmosphere takes time to create.

Almost immediately after the opening credits of Lewis Gilbert’s Haunted disappeared from the screen, I could tell that it would be my kind of a spooky film -- slow and moody, utilizing logic as best as possible. I liked what I heard from Professor David Ash (Aidan Quinn) while he was in front of his students. "I am not here to change any of your precious beliefs. But what I am here to tell you, is that when you investigate psychic phenomena, you must adopt an objective and scientific position." All of this makes perfects sense. Professor Ash then got on the train and went to Edbrook, a rather large Victorian estate somewhere in the British countryside, to examine Nanny Tess (Anna Massey), who had apparently started seeing ghosts.

A quick pause.

In the prologue, a flashback reveals how as a kid Professor Ash lost his sister. It was during a terrible accident which has continued to haunt him in the present. He feels responsible for it and his extensive work in the paranormal field is driven almost exclusively by his desire to rationalize the feeling that his mind has preserved some sort of an elusive relationship with his dead sister.

Back to the present.

At the Edbrook estate Professor Ash is befriended by the young and beautiful Christina (Kate Beckinsale) and her two brothers, Robert (Anthony Andrews) and Simon (Alex Lowe). As he begins to explore the place, Christina warms up to him and then begins dispatching different signals revealing that she would love to be in a romantic relationship with him. Professor Ash finds it awfully difficult to resist her charm and beauty, but nevertheless begins questioning Nanny Tess. While gathering information from her and examining the darkest corners of Edbrook, however, Professor Ash gradually realizes that he has started drifting away from reality.

I’d rather not say anything else about Professor Ash’s work with Nanny Tess because at this point it will rightfully be considered spoiler material. Instead, I wish to quickly mention how the film’s atmosphere evolves, as well as a few specific things it does for its resolution.

Folks that view hundreds of different horror films each year will most likely quickly figure out how Professor Ash will wrap up Nanny Tess’ case. There are clues that reveal plenty about the nature of her condition as well as the paranormal events that are tormenting her mind. Professor Ash witnesses some of these events too, so the overlapping of the real and the paranormal that occurs after he begins his work is very much done with the understanding that eventually there has to be a rational resolution. Even if only a few clues are identified correctly, the resolution becomes incredibly easy to predict.

Haunted is very much an old-fashioned ghost film. In fact, you won’t have to look long and hard to realize that Gilbert was clearly influenced by Jack Clayton’s The Innocents, which means that Haunted isn’t a one-trick pony. It works quite nicely as a psychological drama as well, so everything that Professor Ash goes through can make perfect sense even if seen from an entirely different angle.

The original material for Haunted came from James Herbert’s novel of the same name, but it would be difficult to argue that Gilbert produced a rock-solid cinematic adaptation of it. Why? Because the film’s ambience and the personality Quinn gives his character feel entirely unique.

Haunted Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Haunted arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment. (You can also select to see the film in a 1.66:1 ratio, but I found this rather strange because the difference is insignificant).

The entire film has a dated appearance, which tells me that this release was sourced from a very old master. Indeed, while most of the darker footage can look rather decent, the daylight footage tends to look pretty harsh and overblown. Predictably, fine nuances can appear compromised in various ways, while depth is often problematic. The good news is that there is still a decent amount of mostly pleasing detail, but the larger your screen is, the easier it will be to conclude that the entire film can and should look vastly superior in high-definition. Some of the primary colors look decent, but during daylight footage the inconsistent brightness levels cause quite a few anomalies. In other words, color balance can be significantly improved. Image stability is very good. So, this is a serviceable presentation of Haunted, but if the film is properly remastered in 2K or 4K it will look a lot better on Blu-ray. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Haunted Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English: LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I thought that the lossless track was mostly decent. In a few areas it does not have the dynamic potency I wanted to hear, but this may very well be how it was mixed some years ago. On the other hand, Haunted absolutely needs and deserves a solid lossless 5.1 track. In fact, I was quite surprised to see that there wasn't one on the Blu-ray. My guess is that the current master comes from the DVD era, which is why there is only a 2.0 track on it.

Haunted Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "Seeing Things: Filming Haunted" - in this new program, cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts recalls how he was approached to work on Haunted many years after her had done The Dark Half and what it was like to work with Lewis Gilbert, whom he describes as "classic English director". Also, there are plenty of observations about the film's unique visual style. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• "Feeling Things: Acting Haunted" - in this new program, actor Alex Lowe discusses his acting career and how he was offered to play the character of Simon Mariell, as well as his interactions with Lewis Gilbert during the production of Haunted and attitude toward horror films. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• "Heating Things: Scoring Haunted" - in this new program, composer Debbie Wiseman recalls how she was offered the opportunity to score Haunted, her first interaction with Lewis Gilbert in London, and how the soundtrack she created linked with the visuals from the film. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• Making of Featurette - presented here is a vintage making of featurette which focuses on the production history of Haunted. Included in it are clips from interviews with writer James Herbert, actors Anthony Andrews and Aidan Quinn, and director Lewis Gilbert, amongst others. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Kim Newman and Stephen Jones.

• Stills Gallery - a collection of vintage promotional materials for Haunted. With music. (4 min).

Haunted Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If Ismail Merchant and James Ivory had expanded their library with period horror films, Haunted would have been part of it and likely one of its biggest hits. It has that kind of a unique vintage British quality that I found incredibly attractive. Of course, this isn't at all surprising because it was directed by a legendary British director, Lewis Gilbert, and lensed by Tony Pierce-Roberts, who did work on some of the biggest Merchant Ivory films. This recent release of Haunted from Australian label Via Vision Entertainment is sourced from an old and shaky master, but has a nice selection of exclusive new and vintage bonus features. I think that it is worth picking up because at the moment there isn't a North American release of Haunted, but I really hope that one day the film will be properly remastered in 4K so that it looks as it should. It is absolutely gorgeous. RECOMMENDED.