Catherine Zeta-Jones Stuns as Theo in ‘The Haunting’ [Horror Crush]
We all remember our first horror crush. Maybe it was the Headless Horseman in Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow? Maybe a bad boy Bill Paxton as an irresistible vampire in Near Dark? Or, if you’re like me, it was Catherine Zeta-Jones stunning in her Prada boots – “Prada; Milan, not New York. But they’re killing me… Small price to pay for such savage kicks!” – in Jan de Bont’s The Haunting.
Now, not everyone is as sold on de Bont’s remake as I am. Consider it a sign of the times. I grew up with his digitized take on Shirley Jackson’s queer classic– one of the most influential horror novels of all time– and it remains one of my favorite horror movies from the 1990s. That’s in no small part thanks to Zeta-Jones’ Theo. A contemporary take on Jackson’s queer subtext, Theo is stunning, bisexual, and a glorious, gorgeous dose of energy in de Bont’s modern reimagining. I mean, come on! When asked about whether she has problems with commitment, Theo remarks, “Well, my boyfriend thinks so, my girlfriend doesn’t. We could all live together, but they hate each other.”
As a young queer man in the 1990s (who otherwise didn’t know I was queer), those subtle moments of representation were everything. They were simply there and normal. And they were, outside of horror, too uncommon. So, three cheers to Catherine Zeta-Jones, The Haunting, and, hey, Melissa Barrera, who also shared a deep affection for Theo.
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