Roland33
New Member
Hello everyone,
I’m researching the large swinging fireplace flue prop from Jan de Bont’s The Haunting (1999) — the one that swings out of the massive fireplace to scare Eleanor Vance (Lili Taylor) away.
So far, I’ve only been able to find a head bust of the Hugh Crain visage portion of the flue, but I suspect it may have originally been part of a larger assembly. The underside of the head bust has a hollow opening, which makes me wonder if it could have once been attached to additional elements during filming.
During the scene, I also noticed what appear to be two sculpted hands positioned on either side of the Hugh Crain face, visible as the flue swings out and strikes the chainmail barrier. This makes me think there may have been a more complete sculpt — possibly a torso or other decorative elements — that either didn’t survive intact or was separated for display/auction.
I’m hoping to find:
Any production photos or behind-the-scenes shots of the full fireplace flue piece.
Details from anyone who has handled the screen-used prop(s) or replicas.
Auction listings, studio catalogs, or archival references showing the flue in its complete form.
Information on whether the head bust was ever permanently mounted to a body or armature during filming.
If anyone here has images, documentation, or first-hand knowledge of the full flue prop build, I’d greatly appreciate your insights.
Thanks a lot for y'all help!
I’m researching the large swinging fireplace flue prop from Jan de Bont’s The Haunting (1999) — the one that swings out of the massive fireplace to scare Eleanor Vance (Lili Taylor) away.
So far, I’ve only been able to find a head bust of the Hugh Crain visage portion of the flue, but I suspect it may have originally been part of a larger assembly. The underside of the head bust has a hollow opening, which makes me wonder if it could have once been attached to additional elements during filming.
During the scene, I also noticed what appear to be two sculpted hands positioned on either side of the Hugh Crain face, visible as the flue swings out and strikes the chainmail barrier. This makes me think there may have been a more complete sculpt — possibly a torso or other decorative elements — that either didn’t survive intact or was separated for display/auction.
I’m hoping to find:
Any production photos or behind-the-scenes shots of the full fireplace flue piece.
Details from anyone who has handled the screen-used prop(s) or replicas.
Auction listings, studio catalogs, or archival references showing the flue in its complete form.
Information on whether the head bust was ever permanently mounted to a body or armature during filming.
If anyone here has images, documentation, or first-hand knowledge of the full flue prop build, I’d greatly appreciate your insights.
Thanks a lot for y'all help!
