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The Haunting Of Julia 4K UHD Review

“The Haunting Of Julia” is a horror bore.

Based on Peter Straub’s novel “Julia,” 1977’s “The Haunting Of Julia (also frequently known as “Full Circle”) begins with married couple Magnus and Julia losing their daughter Kate. After the traumatic experience, Julia opts to live on her own in a London home and cut ties with her husband. As she settles in, strange things begin to happen inside and outside of the home. Julia also begins to see her late daughter in various places. Matters become even stranger after Julia holds a seance at her home. Shortly thereafter, bodies begin to pile up and Julia becomes obsessed with learning about her new home’s past which leads to her doing a solo investigation about it which leads to a discovery about a very disturbed ghostly girl. 

Directed by Richard Loncraine and penned by Harry Bromley Davenport and Dave Humphries, “The Haunting Of Julia” is a forgettable British horror movie. It’s a tedious slow burn supernatural tale about loss, trauma, and death that is never as captivating as it could be. Loncraine’s direction is so flat throughout as there’s a severe lack of heart pounding tension, dread, scares and atmosphere (which is the key component to any good ghost story). The way the story is presented feels so detached, cliched, murky, and clumsy. It never feels like the movie has an identity of its own as it borrows from so many ghost stories that came before it. The cheesy and distracting synth score by Colin Towns doesn’t do the film any favors either. Only the very ending is of interest, but of course, by then it’s too late.

Cast wise, there are some solid performances here. Although Mia Farrow does seem to be channeling a little of her performance from the earlier “Rosemary’s Baby,” she’s still the best part of the entire movie. Tom Conti shines as Julia’s friend Mark as does Keir Dullea as Julia’s jerk of a husband Magnus. 

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.35:1 2160p. How does it look? This new Scream Factory disc contains a 4K scan from the original camera negative and the result is a quality print.

Audio Track: 2.0 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? The audio track is a little iffy and scratchy in parts but is generally satisfactory.

Extras:
* Blu-ray copy
* Commentary by director Richard Loncraine and film historian Simon Fitzjohn (on the 4K and Blu-ray).
* “Coming Full Circle”- An interview with actor Tom Conti.
* “Park Life”- Simon Fitzjohn tours filming locations.
* “The Fear Of Growing Up”- An interview with Samantha Gates who played Kate.
* “A Haunting Retrospective”- Film critic Kim Newman talks about “The Haunting Of Julia.”

April 23, 2023 - Posted by nicklyons1 | 4K UHD Review | 70's Movies, Full Circle 4K UHD Review, Full Circle Horror Movie, Horror Movie, Peter Straub, The Haunting Of Julia, The Haunting Of Julia 4K UHD Review