In a renovated house, once a Catholic school for girls who claimed to see the Virgin Mary and perform miracles, is now occupied by a couple, their daughter, and newborn. The sick would come to be healed, plastic hands, feet, and other body parts would be hung by string from the ceiling and the children would attempt to perform miracles for the people, but instead of being healed, their conditions worsened. It was believed that an evil elemental lives in that building and caused the harm inflicted on those hoping for a cure for their ailments. A Spanish news reel made in the 40s reveals that a prostitute may've been blessed with the power to perform miracles, two priests assigned to possibly grant her a sainthood, unable to do so due to her reputation, the girl later committing suicide, bleeding from her stigmata days after death. There's this "third supposition" that can only be defeated by way of a willing martyr. The question remains..what happened to those who once lived in the school and the man who filmed footage of the girls and the occurrences wrought through them by the elemental. Ana Torrent is Francesca, after ten years, still mourns inside for the daughter she lost shortly upon giving birth to her. She "baptizes and names" babies which die the same way as hers did, much to the chagrin of fellow colleague, Jean(Rocío Muñoz)who believes Francesca needs to take time away from the profession of pediatrics. Pedro(Francisco Boira)is Francesca's husband who begins to worry about her when she starts sleeping near the baby, hearing voices, and seeing images which frighten her. There's a long time coma patient, Blanca(María Alfonsa Rosso), who awakens after 60 years, looking for her husband who was filming at Francesca's new abode before she went into her deep sleep. The Spanish news reporting series under the Franco regime kept the secret behind the mystery of what went on inside Francesca's house hidden from the outside world and perhaps, once found, the missing reel could contain footage of importance as to what haunts the attic. Héctor Colomé is Miguel, a priest who defrauds supposed miracles and other proclaimed acts of spiritual power, finding that debunking what Francesca experiences is impossible. Miguel, wanting to make amends for his part in the prostitute-suicide debacle, will forward ahead, hoping to encounter that great mystery which awaits discovery somewhere within the walls of Francesca's home.
I must say that while the spooks of a mostly computer generated variety are standard and rather average, the developing story(and how the director uses history and news reels as story-telling devices)I found fascinating and compelling. Director Elio Quiroga casts a disparaging eye towards the Catholic church and their heinous part in a tragic revelation at the end, shot on "old film", buried behind a hidden wall for a reason. Miguel is an angelic priest, though, whose involvement in the ongoing story gives credence to Francesca, perfectly sane yet her husband and a friend question her mental state. Another neat plot twist(although, I've seen this twist used before in psychological tales where the protagonist's sense of reality and fantasy is skewed)concerns Rosa, Francesca's daughter. There's a reason why Miguel reacts strongly when he sees Rosa for the first time. While I imagine many will see influences of THE EXORCIST and other spiritual supernatural thrillers, I think THE HAUNTING has its original moments, mainly in the central mystery and how this is seen to its conclusion. Heavy dependence on visual effects kind of lessened its impact, but THE HAUNTING does feature some strong performances which buoy the film when it doesn't quite work.
I must say that while the spooks of a mostly computer generated variety are standard and rather average, the developing story(and how the director uses history and news reels as story-telling devices)I found fascinating and compelling. Director Elio Quiroga casts a disparaging eye towards the Catholic church and their heinous part in a tragic revelation at the end, shot on "old film", buried behind a hidden wall for a reason. Miguel is an angelic priest, though, whose involvement in the ongoing story gives credence to Francesca, perfectly sane yet her husband and a friend question her mental state. Another neat plot twist(although, I've seen this twist used before in psychological tales where the protagonist's sense of reality and fantasy is skewed)concerns Rosa, Francesca's daughter. There's a reason why Miguel reacts strongly when he sees Rosa for the first time. While I imagine many will see influences of THE EXORCIST and other spiritual supernatural thrillers, I think THE HAUNTING has its original moments, mainly in the central mystery and how this is seen to its conclusion. Heavy dependence on visual effects kind of lessened its impact, but THE HAUNTING does feature some strong performances which buoy the film when it doesn't quite work.
