Catherine Zeta-Jones, Owen Wilson, and Lili Taylor all decide to take part in an insomnia study, run by Liam Neeson, in a dark, gloomy castle. As in all horror stories, the characters never see it coming. Catherine thinks the atmosphere is wild and exciting, Owen thinks it's creepy but he's too busy making jokes and hitting on Catherine to really take his worries seriously, and Lili is preoccupied with keeping her own secrets hidden. But when the house starts to come to life, the four of them have to band together.Everyone knows I'm a total lightweight when it comes to scary movies, and this one was just scary enough to make me wary of going to sleep that night, but it didn't give me nightmares. The first part of the movie is really fun, because Owen's character is written to be hilarious and his delivery makes him more so. Catherine is beautiful, but she's not really given much to do, and Lili is sufficiently intriguing to keep audiences wondering what her real problems are. Once things started getting spooky, I knew it was time to grab my pillow, lest hiding became necessary. I'll watch almost anything with Owen Wilson or Catherine Zeta-Jones, so I was glad that I didn't need to hide behind my pillow. Lightweights like me will be very happy, but hardcore horror fans will probably be left wanting.Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to some scary scenes, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.

if you do not know the book and ignore the first adaptation, it could be a decent Gothic story adaptation, who preserves, in large manner, the rules of genre. sure, as opportunity for a generous use of technology. and this is the first great mistake because the story becomes, scene by scene, senseless. the second mistake is the cast. who, except Marian Seldes,remains only a list of names. the third sin - absence of coherence. large parts from the novel are ignored for give more and more fireworks. and this is the bizarre thing - a film who has every chances to be seductive, because propose an old fashion story, becomes a mix of confusion. the only chance is the classic warning - "only for the fans of actors".

This movie came out when I was 11 and even at that age I thought this movie was horribly done. The acting is juvenile and lacks any depth or sincerity, the script is just pathetic, and the poor actors had to somehow make it a film that people wouldn't burn at the stake. It also contained hokey effects (the CGI was tasteless and you could see wires in various scenes) and many mistakes in continuity. The lead actress is as awkward with her performance as the actor who played Charlie Bucket in the original Willy Wonka. Half the time you just sit there wondering how on Earth they even got into a movie because the acting was so awful. I feel so sorry for the actors who took a career hit by being in this movie!

This is one of the scariest horror movies ever made. People to say this not a good just because it is a remake. People are narrow minded about remakes. People say the original 1963 version is better just because it is the original. The only good thing about the original this that it is a precursor to this movie. The original did have an interesting concept. A doctor takes people to an old house and tell him it is haunted as an experiment to see how they will react. And turns out the house real his haunted. It gets ruined by a week script. An awful ending. And mediocre acting. This one has the same concept and the same story line and characters. But a mush strange script and mush better acting. A mush better ending. Of course the special effects are better. Don't even bother with the 1963 original version that is just overrated cheesy and lame. Just see this one. This is of the scariest movie ever. See it. Do not lesson to people who say this is no good and the original is better. If you want to see a really scary movie you see this one. This a great movie. This movie is very intense. I do not get scared of what I do not see. I can always go for walk in the woods and not see ghosts. I jumped a few time the fist time I saw this movie in the theaters. That did not happen when I watched the lame original on TV. It happened when when I watch The original Psycho on TV. I like a good scary movie. That is way like this movie.