Haunted

Adapted from James Herbert's novel by veteran Lewis Gilbert, this old-fashioned ghost story benefits from craftsmanship, but lacks atmosphere and imagination. All is present and correct, from the Edwardian pile where things go bump in the night, to the ghostly figures by a moonlit lake. Quinn brings an emotional dimension to the professional sceptic David Ash whose rational beliefs are challenged by a confrontation with the spiritual world. Summoned to Edbrook House by dotty servant Miss Webb (Massey), David's drawn into the intrigues of its other three inhabitants, Christina and the brothers Robert (Andrews) and Simon (Lowe). Unsettled by the weird goings-on, David starts to lose his grip on reality. Massey's twitchy, unhinged old lady sets the tone for what will follow, while Beckinsale's sexy Christina fuses childlike recklessness with adult manipulation. Ironically, as the shocking revelations and sfx kick in with a vengeance, it's Quinn's disintegrating professor who holds things together, his outstanding performance a solid dramatic axis around which things spin wildly out of control.