Shooting of haunted house

Richard Jefferies, the screenwriter and executive producer of this film, wrote the script of Tron 2.0 for Disney Company, which gave birth to the haunted house. One night, jeffries had dinner with the top management of the film company. At the dinner table, jeffries put forward an idea that bothered him for many years. Executives decided to buy jeffries's idea the next day and asked him to start the screenplay immediately.

Meanwhile, director Mike Figgis is planning to return to mainstream movies. After filming the drama One-Night Stand for New Line Film Company, figgis decided to challenge the film language, that is, to experiment and innovate with digital technology. For him, digital cameras are not only lighter, but also more flexible. In the past few years, figgis has accumulated rich experience in digital movies, and he thinks the time is ripe to shoot new movies.

Figgis took an interest in the play when he first saw it. Of course, every director will have his own ideas and hope to improve the script with the screenwriter. He soon flew from London to the United States and met Nina Jacobson, president of Weber Film Company, and several executives of other production companies. He recalled: "They liked my suggestion very much and invited me to direct this film." Figgis wanted to keep the original psychological thriller in the script, but he wanted to make the story more complicated.

In March, 2002, figgis met with the top management of Touchstone Film Company and began to discuss shooting. At that time, the leaves were already green, so there was no time to delay. Either shoot them immediately or wait until the next year. Six months after Richard jeffries finished the script, the shooting plan of Haunted House began.

When talking about choosing Dennis Quaid to play Cooper Tilson, figgis said, "I've always been a huge fan of Dennis Quaid, and I've always wanted to work with him. I think he deserves more attention and I am full of respect for him. " Before seeing the script of this film, Quaid decided to play the leading role, because this film was directed by Mike Figgis. After reading the script, Quaid was even more excited. He said, "I have always liked martin scorsese's cape fear. There are some similar elements in Haunted House. This is a Gothic story about family. "

Figgis and sharon stone, who plays Leah Tilson in the film, have known each other for a long time. Although I have always wanted to cooperate, I can't find a suitable film. Si Tong became interested in the script of Haunted House, and soon they hit it off.

It can be said that the old house bought by the Tilsons in the countryside is also a crucial role. Director figgis decided to look for a real house suitable for shooting in reality, instead of setting a set in the studio. To this end, the crew traveled to Virginia, Montreal and Toronto, and finally found an impeccable ideal choice in a small town in southwest Toronto. Leslie Dilley, the production designer, said, "I walked around the house many times. I feel that Richard finished his screenplay in this house. That's weird. We have everything we want here. "

However, at that time, the owner was renovating and the project was halfway through. Dilly told the owners that in order to shoot this film, they had to restore the completed part to its original state and create a worn-out effect. Fortunately, the owner finally agreed.

Dilly led his team to start work at once. They cleaned the owner's furniture first, then designed and installed an arch at the door and added a stained glass skylight to the ceiling. The decorative art has faded, and old wallpaper is stuck on the wall. Broken pipes also appeared on the walls and kitchen ceiling.

Outdoor, the art department has added swimming pool, iron gate, ivy and rose garden. In addition, Dili also drilled a natural well on the ground with fiberglass. The "devil's throat" in this film is below the water surface, and the wellhead is covered with branches and leaves.

The film started shooting on August 6, 2002 and was shot in several cities in Ontario, Canada. When filming the scene of the old house, the cast members of the crew had to endure snakes and artificial rainfall for two weeks. The scene where Leah fell into the devil's throat was filmed in a huge reservoir in the studio. Si Tong recalled: "The water temperature in the swimming pool was a little too high, so we had to cool down before shooting. Because of the buoyancy of hot water, we have to tie sandbags. In fact, this is not bad, because the temperature in the studio is very low, but the reservoir is warm. "