Haunting?...What Haunting?
Added 10/31/2009
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R9P9H36U1G3MM
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a slow-paced, old fashioned ghost story
Added 9/22/2009
A slow-paced, old fashioned ghost story supposedly based on true events that transpired between 1818-1820 in Red River, Tennessee. An alleged witch curses the Bell family after a land dispute, and over the ensuing years some form of spectral entity torments father John Bell (portrayed in convincing fashion by Donald Sutherland) and daughter Betsy Bell (played by Rachel Hurd-Wood). This isn't a movie for slasher fans, as it's quite mired in drama with the scary stuff often implemented in an atmospheric, subdued way. It's mostly set in that early 1800s period, although that story is bookended by beginning-and-end flashback sequences that, perhaps inexplicably to some, relate to the old tale. I thought it was a good movie for the most part, although it did have a few nagging issues. My only real disappointment came at the end, with the revelation of what the ghostly presence was and why it was there. Ugh. A terribly tragic tale to be sure, but also something of a letdown in the end.
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a different approach to the horror genre
Added 8/11/2009
I have mixed feelings with An American Haunting. On one hand the visual presentation is amazing, but unfortunately the actual horror and suspense is more along the lines of a total disappointment.
The story mainly focuses on the one daughter of the house. Angry ghosts visit the girl in her sleep and torment the heck out of her by rolling the blankets off her bed, toss her across the floor so her fingernails dig into the floor boards, and slam the bedroom door with the occasional ghostly howls in the background. These are the constant problems the poor girl has to face every night which leads to her sleeping through school the day after.
Eventually the family realizes the daughter is being attacked by ghosts because they can't find explanations for the things going on in her room (and they actually SEE the daughter suspended high in the air getting slapped across the face repeatedly). I know one solution that would have worked- remove the bedroom door so it won't slam shut whenever the family tries to enter the bedroom.
Donald Sutherland is one of the stars of the movie, if not the main star (though Donald and the daughter share just as much movie time).
I totally didn't get the ending though. What I'm about to say is a SPOILER so if you don't want to know what happens in the movie, skip this next paragraph entirely.
At the end of the film, Donald goes to visit the woman who he believes put a curse on his family. She tells him she had nothing to do with it. Then Donald is seen in the middle of a field pointing a gun to his head which doesn't go off. This leads to him breaking down crying. Then the story quickly switches back to the daughters bedroom where the evil spirits continue to rear their ugly heads. You then see Donald Sutherland standing in the bedroom with the daughter. Then after all this is over with (after a certain lengthy amount of time has gone by) the mother sees a spirit image of her daughter standing in the living room after the daughter leaves the house. Then the film is over. *What* *the* *heck?*
Anyway, the film certainly LOOKS good, and the movie tried to deliver some suspense by focusing on a storyline that happened 200 years ago and made the characters of that time period look and act as believable as possible, but it just didn't satisfy my horror needs. Hey, some of us have every day horror needs!
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Departs from the legend
Added 5/26/2009
The movie will scare the heck out of you if you turn down the lights and you watch it at night, but it does depart from the original story in several parts. The "witch" in the original legend makes predictions about several major world events (which came true), hates the African America slaves and makes slurs against them, if you read the original books from the time, you will see all the differences. The movie also makes John Bell look like an incestuous child molester. I've been to Adams, Tennesse, the site of the "Bell Witch" and you do not want to make such inferences there, even two hundred years later! Most folks there believe the Bells to have been good folks. The molestation 'theories' have only surfaced in the last 10-20 years. But for sheer scariness the movie gets a three from me.
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Ok, but wasn't what I was expecting...
Added 5/21/2009
This movie really isn't about haunting but it was ok. I really like ghost movies so I was a little disappointed.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Haunting?...What Haunting?
Added 10/31/2009
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R9P9H36U1G3MM
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
a slow-paced, old fashioned ghost story
Added 9/22/2009
A slow-paced, old fashioned ghost story supposedly based on true events that transpired between 1818-1820 in Red River, Tennessee. An alleged witch curses the Bell family after a land dispute, and over the ensuing years some form of spectral entity torments father John Bell (portrayed in convincing fashion by Donald Sutherland) and daughter Betsy Bell (played by Rachel Hurd-Wood). This isn't a movie for slasher fans, as it's quite mired in drama with the scary stuff often implemented in an atmospheric, subdued way. It's mostly set in that early 1800s period, although that story is bookended by beginning-and-end flashback sequences that, perhaps inexplicably to some, relate to the old tale. I thought it was a good movie for the most part, although it did have a few nagging issues. My only real disappointment came at the end, with the revelation of what the ghostly presence was and why it was there. Ugh. A terribly tragic tale to be sure, but also something of a letdown in the end.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
a different approach to the horror genre
Added 8/11/2009
I have mixed feelings with An American Haunting. On one hand the visual presentation is amazing, but unfortunately the actual horror and suspense is more along the lines of a total disappointment.
The story mainly focuses on the one daughter of the house. Angry ghosts visit the girl in her sleep and torment the heck out of her by rolling the blankets off her bed, toss her across the floor so her fingernails dig into the floor boards, and slam the bedroom door with the occasional ghostly howls in the background. These are the constant problems the poor girl has to face every night which leads to her sleeping through school the day after.
Eventually the family realizes the daughter is being attacked by ghosts because they can't find explanations for the things going on in her room (and they actually SEE the daughter suspended high in the air getting slapped across the face repeatedly). I know one solution that would have worked- remove the bedroom door so it won't slam shut whenever the family tries to enter the bedroom.
Donald Sutherland is one of the stars of the movie, if not the main star (though Donald and the daughter share just as much movie time).
I totally didn't get the ending though. What I'm about to say is a SPOILER so if you don't want to know what happens in the movie, skip this next paragraph entirely.
At the end of the film, Donald goes to visit the woman who he believes put a curse on his family. She tells him she had nothing to do with it. Then Donald is seen in the middle of a field pointing a gun to his head which doesn't go off. This leads to him breaking down crying. Then the story quickly switches back to the daughters bedroom where the evil spirits continue to rear their ugly heads. You then see Donald Sutherland standing in the bedroom with the daughter. Then after all this is over with (after a certain lengthy amount of time has gone by) the mother sees a spirit image of her daughter standing in the living room after the daughter leaves the house. Then the film is over. *What* *the* *heck?*
Anyway, the film certainly LOOKS good, and the movie tried to deliver some suspense by focusing on a storyline that happened 200 years ago and made the characters of that time period look and act as believable as possible, but it just didn't satisfy my horror needs. Hey, some of us have every day horror needs!
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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