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Haunted Castle

EMAILPRINTnWave Pictures

Haunted Castle reviews
44
6.2 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 9 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 11 votes
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Horror

Written by: Ben Stassen

Directed by: Ben Stassen

Release Date:
Theatrical: February 23, 2001
DVD: October 16, 2001

Running Time: 40 minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: PG for some frightening sensations and horror images

Starring Jasper Steverlinck, Kyoko Baertsoen, and Harry Shearer

Johnny's mother (Baertsoen) was a famous, yet reclusive, rock star who spent her final days isolated in a mysterious old castle. Upon her death, Johnny (Steverlinck), a young up-and-coming musician in his own right, is summoned to his mother's castle in accordance with her final wishes. Upon his arrival, Johnny begins to discover that things are not as they appear. (nWave Pictures)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

63

Chicago Tribune Robert K. Elder

Haunted Castle isn't perfect filmmaking, but it does point IMAX films in the direction they should be going - toward innovative, visually imaginative and engaging storytelling.

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60

TV Guide Ken Fox

It's all about the effects, anyway, and they don't disappoint.

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60

The New York Times Stephen Holden

If the story is entirely silly and the music incongruous, Haunted House delivers the necessary 3-D thrills and eye-catching surreal effects.

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60

Chicago Reader Lisa Alspector

The figurative and virtual roller-coaster ride climaxes in a gorgeously disturbing sequence involving antique mirrors that reveal scenes of hideous torture; they don't seem to leave anything to the imagination, but they do.

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50

San Francisco Chronicle Roger Yim

Too bad the 40-minute movie takes a nosedive halfway through, becoming a meandering roller-coaster ride through catacombs and fiery caverns.

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50

New York Post Jonathan Foreman

Looks great. But like all films so far made for the giant-screen format it feels more like a technical exercise than a real movie.

40

Variety Robert Koehler

The only noteworthy aspect of new pic is that it's the first release in the traditionally family-friendly giant screen format to be tagged with a PG rating.

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30

LA Weekly Paul Cullum

A fairly tepid, CGI-animated roller-coaster ride through a medieval Graceland

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20

Village Voice Caleb Crain

Gruesome death is more unnerving in three dimensions than two, and the scene may well be too frightening for a young child. That's too bad, because the rest of the movie is probably too benign for anyone else.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 6.2 (out of 10) based on 11 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Alex Z. gave it a10:
It's not about the story, it's about the experience. Amazing use of 3D space. I am not surprised it has been one of the most succesful Imax 3D released in the last few years.

Judy M. gave it a 0:
Good lord, this was a TERRIBLE movie, has to be the worst movie ive ever seen. i was expecting something much better for an IMAX movie. it sucked some huge a$$ balls, we laughed our a$$'s off the whole time b/c it was so freaking rediculous, anyhows... dont waste your money save it and do something better than seeing this peace of CRAP!

Dee R. gave it a 6:
Obviously this movie was an attempt to apeal to the whole family. I enjoyed the music mostly. If the music wasnt so good I probably would have hated it. The plot was... interesting, but they could of done better. I think the creator should have decided exactly who this was targeted to and stuck to it. But the music was really great. really great.

Michelle W. gave it a 10:
Movie was breathtaking from the start! Incredible attention to detail! Sound track was very supportive of story mood, and captivated the audience. I'm still haunted by "Haunted House"!

Matt F. gave it a 1:
The music was superb, the technique was good, the idea was good. Why did I give it a 1? Well because I saw it in German. The dubbing wasn't convincing. The story didnt make sense, It seemed to be a demonstration of how IMAX has the ability to do something like that, not to actually use the technology. It was disappointing.

Jaspa S. gave it a 1:
This film was entirely silly and went downhill right when the knights came alive (beginning). The music was creepy though. The plot did not make sense... CRAPPY.

G. D. gave it a 4:
The critics are right--it's a quite worthy technical demonstration with no particular dramatic value.

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