An American Haunting (2005)

Sadly Over-hyped

Perfect cast and a good story

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

...I'm kidding...it sucked. 'Spoiler Alert, Spoiler Alert". 1800's, old house, family, evil MAN- HUSBAND, rapes daughter and she comes back as a ghost. Heard the story before? Sure you did. Man-bashing of the late 90's and early 2000's. Based on a true story? Sure and I enjoy swallowing vomit. I will say this was a clever concept the only thing missing was a writer. Plot, script, and originally were totally lost in this silly adventure. Tell me why The powers to be always have to sell out to lefty-pandering? Getting back to an earlier point, this thing was based on a real story which one? Ahhhh...you know...the one about a ghost in a house, yeah that one. Come on, all these ghost stories are loosely based on about 10 tales that are supposedly real scary stories. Wake up. Now I know some people may like this movie - why? Lack of taste maybe? Very sheltered living? Original thought for them is eating breakfasted? Or just slept through most of the movie like me? I don't know who they are or what they are taking, but keep that garbage away from me. I find it hard to believe that sissy Spacek and Donald Sutherland signed on to do this un-flushed waste. That is unfair. It did seem as though it began OK, but after a few minutes soon found its way on the road leading to Badmovieville. For me it appeared these two main stars were really suffering to complete this horrible task. So do I recommend this movie? Let's see you have read my review so far and you have questions - really? Well then sure go ahead and watch this movie in demand to pay twice the price...you deserve it.

Ran into this while looking for a horror movie to watch on a Saturday evening. I'm not really into gory horror, but this kind of psychological and maybe supernatural is more my cup of tea. It looked like an atmospheric piece with foggy scenery, old houses, churches, autumnal feel with some candles and fireplaces etc. Cast looked good, I'm a fan of Donald Sutherland and why not Sissy Spacek too. Only I was a bit suspicious since this had flown under my radar. Out of all the many many "haunting" movies to come out during this millennium, I didn't recall this one.If only I had realized the movie was directed by the same guy who did the infamous Dungeon's and Dragons back in the day. The director is not a very well known "bad director", because he only has a few movies under his resume, but none of them seem to have a very good reputation. Had I known this, I would surely have passed this.The movie is never very engaging. The atmosphere and scenery is OK, but the camera work is not. The camera moves in a very distracting manner and the shots are not very well framed in my opinion. The sets look OK, but details fail like a fireplace looks like a few fake logs on a gas fire. So much for the genuine 1800's feel. The acting is everything from downright bad to mediocre. Even Sutherland doesn't nail it, there are a few scenes that are rather cringe worthy. Rachel Hurd-Wood is OK tho, I think she does quite well and is never as lost or overacting as the others.The movie isn't very scary and since the outcome is obviously non-supernatural, it's difficult to digest all the supernatural stuff. There are cheapish tricks like the image changing from black and white to color. The sound fx were not that good, listening with headphones. The title graphics uses a typeface that is probably called "The horror movie font" on a site providing royalty free fonts. The overall feel was quite cheap and lacks any sense of style. The framing story of a single mother and a daughter living in a modern world is quite tacky too.This could've been passable as a shorter episode of Masters of Horror style series, as it's got that cheap TV feel, but even then it would've been a disappointment. Avoid.

I was never much in a hurry to watch "An American Haunting". It's a ghost movie supposedly based on true events and I don't have any particularly fond memories of similar movies in this sub genre, like for instance "The Amityville Horror" or "The Haunting in Connecticut". On the other hand, the film does put forward a few appealing elements, like a moody 19th Century Tennessee setting and a respectable cast including Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek. Regarding the story, I never heard about the Bell-Witch Haunting in Adams, Tennessee, even though it allegedly is the only recorded and most documented case in America's sinister history. You can read quite a lot about the case, for example that Andrew Jackson (the 7th President of the US) personally mingled into the events, but also that the whole thing is just one giant hoax invented by novelist Martin Van Buren Ingram. Regardless of the true/phony discussion, fact remains that "An American Haunting" is an average – at best – thriller with far too many dull sequences and disappointingly weak horror aspects. Following a completely redundant present day opening sequence, the action is promptly replaced to 1817 where we are introduced to wealthy landowner John Bell and his family. During a local church trial, Bell is judged for charging the ridiculously high interest rate of 20% to his neighbor Kathe Betts. She's believed to be a witch and places a curse on the Bell family; the enchanting 15-year old daughter Betsy in particular. It's a good thing she never lived in this day and age of economic recession, or she would be cursing bankers left and right! Soon after the incident, poor little Betsy begins to get stalked by a supernatural entity that rudely drags her out of bed, bangs her head against walls and appears next to her on the swing in broad daylight! John Bell and his wife desperately seek help for their little girl, for example from her school teacher Richard Powell who not-so secretly fancies Betsy. Apparently it wasn't yet considered perverse for a teacher to crave a 15-year old girl in 1817. Since the actual plot is very thin, and since the film is intended for wide PG13 audiences, "An American Haunting" isn't at all exciting or unsettling. There's an overload of annoying false scares and director Courtney Solomon (what's in a name) plays with sound effects and rudimentary CGI instead of focusing on real terror. Admittedly the denouement (undocumented and 100% fictional) isn't predictable, but that doesn't mean it is any good. In fact, the ending raises far more questions than it answers. Overall, a lousy and non-horrific horror flick that wastes our time as well as the talent of many people involved. The director went on to found the production company "After Dark Films", which was a much more useful occupation for him.

I thought the movie was okay - not mega scary, but had a few "jump" bits. Didn't mind the fact that they kept "repeating" the same thing (girl screaming, family being locked out of room) - isn't that the same with slasher flicks (girl screaming, psycho slashes, girl dies etc)?? BUT what totally lost me to this movie was the fact that it tried to end with it all being a case of incestual rape of the daughter by her father, and the mother poisoning the father... Yeah, because everyone heard voices and saw wolves etc due to the guilt the father and daughter felt... sure. Dumb arse ending. Should have left it as an actual haunting movie.