Plot
Professor David Ash is invited to Edbrook to calm the fears of the elderly nanny of the Mariell family...

Release Year: 1995

Rating: 6.2/10 (3,294 voted)

Director: Lewis Gilbert

Stars: Aidan Quinn, Kate Beckinsale, Anthony Andrews

Storyline
Professor David Ash is invited to Edbrook to calm the fears of the elderly nanny of the Mariell family. Nanny Tess is seeing things, and Ash's book debunking such phenomenon makes him a good choice to set her mind at ease and convince her she is just tired and stressed. But soon after arriving David too begins to doubt his senses, and watching the odd behavior of the three grown Mariell children doesn't make his task any easier. In fact, he begins to think Nanny Tess isn't really just tired and stressed out after all.

Writers: James Herbert, Timothy Prager

Cast:
Aidan Quinn - Prof. David Ash
Kate Beckinsale - Christina Mariell
Anthony Andrews - Robert Mariell
John Gielgud - Doctor Doyle
Anna Massey - Nanny Tess Webb
Alex Lowe - Simon Mariell
Geraldine Somerville - Kate
Victoria Shalet - Juliet Ash
Linda Bassett - Madame Brontski
Liz Smith - Old Gypsy Woman
Peter England - Young David
Alice Douglas - Clare
Hilary Mason - Elderly Lady
Edmund Moriarty - Liam
Emily Hamilton - Mary

Taglines: A Supernatural Tale of Love and Mystery

Release Date: 18 June 1996

Filming Locations: East Sussex, England, UK

Technical Specs

Runtime: 108 min

Trivia:
Hilary Mason replaced Jean Anderson.

Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: There are obvious body doubles for both Christina's and David's nude scenes. You can see their faces clearly - most notably, Christina's double's face can be seen through the tree's leaves when she emerges from the lake. David's double's face is clearly seen during the sex scene with Christina.

Quotes:
Prof. David Ash: Miss Webb, I have been to hundreds of houses, countless seances, and I have never yet seen something that can't be explained in rational terms. The people I've met all have one thing in common; pain.
Nanny Tess Webb: I thought you came to help me.
Prof. David Ash: Miss Webb, I am trying to help you.
Nanny Tess Webb: You mean to tell me that you see nothing?
Prof. David Ash: I see nothing. But the point is, you do. And if you just give me a few simple details, I intend to prove to you that there's nothing in Edbrook House to be afraid of.
Nanny Tess Webb: There are spirits in this house. I know you see Arrggghhhh
[...]

One of the Best-Unknown Ghost Stories Ever

Rating: 10/10

In 1905, in Sussex, England, the young boy David loses his twin sister while playing with her nearby a lake. The girl falls and drowns in the lake, and David feels guilty for her death. The grieving family returns to USA, and twenty-three years later, David Ash (Aidan Quinn) comes back to England, to be the professor of psychology in the University of Camberley. The skeptical David is specialized in psychic phenomena and exposition of false mediums and frauds, and wrote a successful book about this subject. After a countless number of calls from an elder lady called Miss Webb (Anna Massey) claiming to be haunted by ghosts, David is informed that the lady lives in Edbrook, and he decides to accept her invitation to visit her. When he arrives in Edbrook's train station, the beautiful young woman Christina Mariell (Kate Beckinsale) is waiting for him. She drives him to her remote mansion, where she lives with her two brothers and their former nanny, Miss Webb. After being introduced to the family, David finds the behavior of Miss Webb very weird and disturbed, but decides to investigate the existence of any psychic phenomena in the place. Meanwhile, Christina and him fall in love for each other. Their romance and his investigation come to surprising revelations.

I do not understand why "Haunted" has not become a successful movie. This awesome story slightly recalls "The Innocents", and is better than "The Others", "The Sixth Sense" or "El Espinazo del Diablo", having romance, sexual situation, drama and horror in right doses. The soundtrack is one of the most beautiful of the cinema, and may be compared to "Somewhere in Time". Kate Beckinsale, with twenty-two years old, is astonishing and the scenes with her naked body would be enough to make this movie worthwhile. But the chemistry between Aidan Quinn and her is marvelous; the mysterious story is magnificently well tight, and in the end nothing is like it seems to be. Yesterday I saw this movie for the third time on VHS, since the DVD has not been released in Brazil, and I found it again one of the best ghost stories I have ever seen. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): "Ilusões Perigosas" ("Dangerous Ilusions")

Obs: On 12 Oct 2007, I saw this awesome movie again, now on DVD.

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