I thought they pulled this one off a lot better than "House on Haunted Hill".  Part of the thing that makes haunted house movies so much fun is exploring the house and taking in all the mysterious visuals-- something this movie doesn't skimp at.  Along the same lines, that's one of the reasons I liked the original two Hellraiser movies-- not so much for the suspense, but for the wonderings that are left in your mind after you watch the movie.

The only possible shortcoming of this movie is that it explains too much about the history of the house and the nature of the ghosts.  I can't really decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing.  Like I said, part of the fun is thinking about the spooky stuff on your own, but it's refreshing to have a movie that, when it ends, you know exactly what happened and why it happened.

The characters don't do anything dorky in it either, except for the obligatory "Let's split up" scene.  Also refreshing is the fact that it doesn't rely on stupid gore to shock you or try to make the movie interesting.  I hate that stuff.

All in all, this is a pretty tastefully done movie, and an all around good flick.

Rating 7/10 stars

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