The Haunting (1999 film)

The Haunting
The Haunting film poster
Directed by	Jan de Bont
Screenplay by	David Self
Based on	The Haunting of Hill House 1959 novel by Shirley Jackson
Produced by	Donna Arkoff Roth Colin Wilson Susan Arnold
Starring	Liam Neeson Catherine Zeta-Jones Owen Wilson Lili Taylor
Cinematography	Karl Walter Lindenlaub
Edited by	Michael Kahn
Music by	Jerry Goldsmith
Production company	Roth-Arnold Productions
Distributed by	DreamWorks Pictures
Release date	July 23, 1999 (1999-07-23)
Running time	114 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$80 million
Box office	$180.2 million

The Haunting is a 1999 American supernatural horror film directed by Jan de Bont, and starring Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Owen Wilson, and Lili Taylor, with Marian Seldes, Bruce Dern, Todd Field, and Virginia Madsen appearing in supporting roles. Its plot follows a group of people who gather at a sprawling estate in western Massachusetts for an apparent volunteer study on insomnia, only to find themselves plagued by paranormal events connected to the home's grim history. Based on the 1959 novel The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, it is the second feature film adaptation of the source material after Robert Wise's 1963 film adaptation of the same name.

Development for The Haunting originally began as a collaboration between filmmaker Steven Spielberg and writer Stephen King, who together began writing a new adaptation of Jackson's novel, largely inspired by Wise's 1963 film version. After creative differences, the project was aborted, with King retooling his screenplay to form the 2002 miniseries Rose Red. Spielberg meanwhile commissioned a new screenplay for the project, written by David Self, to be produced under Spielberg's studio, DreamWorks Pictures. Filming of The Haunting began in the fall of 1998, with some location shoots occurring in England at Harlaxton Manor and Belvoir Castle, though the majority of the film was shot in specially-crafted sets in Los Angeles by esteemed Argentine production designer Eugenio Zanetti.

The Haunting premiered theatrically in North America in July 1999. The film received mostly negative reviews from critics but was a financial success, grossing $180.2 million worldwide against a production budget of $80 million.