An American Haunting (2006)

A Sad Story

The Bell Witch is a legend throughout the Southeastern part of the United States. It is rumored that Pres. Andrew Jackson confronted the entity. Of all the potential stories and variations possible for this legend, this movie obliterated the lore.

Many people enjoy the folklore of the Bell Witch and the only known death attributed to a supernatural entity. The movie starts great with good characters, realistic performances, and great effects. About mid-way through, all that changes. Suddenly, the characters fall into aged stereotypes. You will probably already know what those are.

The conclusion of the story is utterly predictable. This is a prime situation where they start with good intentions, but fall woefully short of the mark. It's feminism gone painfully awry and you wonder why on earth you wasted 90 minutes when the best part is the first 45. July 4, 2008

True story or not, it just didnt captivate me.

This one needed work done with the editing and plot to help it along. It starts off in the present day by a girl being chased by a ghost, then her mother starts to read a letter someone has sent her about her family. Then the movie is what happened in the past.

Donald Sutherland plays a husband and father to a daughter. He wins a kind of olden day church court case saying he now owns the property of a witch. She does not like that he has taken her land, and she curses him and his family.

Then strange things happen to them, and a ghost begins to terrorize them.
And thats about the whole movie really.

In most parts it can be pretty boring to watch, the suspence relies on loud sounds after silence and a few shadows moving around. It's not much really.

The intro message tries to convince you that this is based on a true story, that there is only one case in American history where a ghost has killed a living human being... yeah... okay, whatever they reckons going to sell there story I suppose.

I lost interest by the end of the movie, I didn't even see if the start of the film had anything to do with the end of it. I was falling asleep and just did not really care by that stage.

It's far from the worst movie I've ever seen, but it was not one I would want to see again. It might work for your tastes, but I would honestly recommend you look elsewhere to find an entertaining ghost story.




June 29, 2008

Real Life Ghost - Real Life Haunting

I first heard of the Bell Witch when the movie "An American Haunting" was released in theaters in 2005. I did a little research on the internet, and found a forum discussion in the Paranormal section of [...]. There wasn't much in the way of information about the haunting, but we are talking about an event that is almost 200 years old, and you can expect the information to be a bit scarce.

So, when I received a copy of "An American Haunting" to review, I didn't know what to expect. But I was excited, after all, movies about true-life hauntings are a necessity for certain times of the year (A Hallow's Eve), aren't they!

The movie doesn't waste any time in getting to the action, and right away I found myself perched on the edge of the couch, wondering what was going to happen. And the entire movie was like that. It wasn't until the very end that I had one of those "Ah ha" moments and received a bit of clarity about the story-line.

Set in rural Tennessee in the early 1800s, "An American Haunting" is based on the true story of a spirit who repeatedly brutally attacks the Bell family (and actually causes the death of one of the family members). The movie stars Donald Sutherland as John Bell, Sissy Spacek as his wife Lucy and Rachel Hurd-Wood as their daughter Betsy. Their story starts off with John Bell having a heated argument with a woman who is rumored to be a witch. After their argument, things start happening at the Bell home. At first it's just small noises, but soon the spirit encounters become violent, and center on the daughter, Betsy.

I'm glad I wasn't too familiar with the legend of the Bell Witch, because I didn't worry about whether the story was following the legend or not, and I just enjoyed the movie for what it was ---- haunting and scary! And I think that just knowing it was based on a real haunting made it even scarier.

The acting was great, and the scenery was absolutely stunning! The visual effects were believable and not too crazy. The story itself was not just a horror movie, but truly a psychological thriller that kept you wondering until the end what was going on.

A great thriller anytime, but definitely now part of my Halloween scary movie watching tradition, "An American Haunting" is a great movie for anyone who loves a good ghost story; especially those stories of real-life hauntings.
May 23, 2008

Could have been a much better "Haunting"

Blech!!!

Let's not mince words here. What could have been a really strong and truly frightening film, because it was based on historical truth, was not to be realized. How many times can one watch the exact same things going on in a film until you turn it off? I don't know, because I was foolish enough to watch to the most ridiculous end!

Two stars- because the cinematography saved this film from the bottom. No recommendation in the least. April 9, 2008

A Supernatural Tale from American History

When an early 19th century Tennessee family becomes plagued by an invisible entity particularly focused on tormenting the teenage daughter, Betsy, they automatically assume it is the result of a curse placed upon them by a local woman who is commonly believed to be a witch. The family, with the help of their children's school teacher and other friends, repeatedly attempts to outwit the unseen forces that also seem to be driving their patriarch to the grave with a mysterious illness, but the solution proves to be as evasive as the true cause.

Based upon actual events that resulted in the only official case of a death caused by a spirit in the United States, "An American Haunting" provides an intriguing if not very accurate account of the legendary Bell Witch haunting. If you are just seeking a "spooky movie," you will likely be satisfied with this film. If you are seeking a realistic and historically precise take on the Bell Witch, you will likely be pretty frustrated. "An American Haunting" chooses to explain the supernatural events of the story with one of the many theories of the Bell Witch case. It's a fascinating but also rather slanderous one to be presented without historical evidence (if there truly IS any, I have not read of it). The film is a bit of a mixed bag in terms of quality. At times, the effects can feel like those of a TV movie, and there is a bookend storyline that takes place in modern day which I personally feel is entirely unnecessary and very "Lifetime Network" in style. The acting performances vary, but that is the case with most films, and with Sissy Spacek and Donald Sutherland in leads, you know there's some great acting to be enjoyed. On top of that, we get Rachel Hurd-Wood as Betsy, easily one of the most captivating and gorgeous actresses of our day. The film also creates an excellently haunting atmosphere, and is well worth at least one viewing from anyone who enjoys haunted house or exorcism themed films.

Always choose the unrated versions. The DVD is widescreen and includes a ton of alternate and deleted scenes, including alternate endings that I think I would have preferred a bit, especially without the modern-day bookend story. There are also trailers and TV spots, an interview with Sissy Spacek, a very different Director's Video commentary (which is actually a car ride to and from the director Courney Solomon's office as he gives his take on making a film and dealing with critics), some internet promotion videos, and English and Spanish subtitles.

"An American Haunting" is a film that you have to see to know whether or not you'll want to own it, and there can be a wide number of reasons why you would choose to. If you decide you enjoy it, you may also want to check out, "The Exorcist," "Exorcism of Emily Rose," "The Amityville Horror," "The Blair Witch," and the documentary "In the Grip of Evil," among others.
January 9, 2008

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