IMDb > An American Haunting (2005)
An American Haunting
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An American Haunting (2005) More at IMDbPro »

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An American Haunting (2005) -- Based on the true events of the only case in US History where a spirit caused the death of a man.
An American Haunting (2005) -- Movieplayer.it - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
4.9/10   12,636 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 20% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Brent Monahan (novel)
Courtney Solomon (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for An American Haunting on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
5 May 2006 (USA) more
Tagline:
Possession Knows No Bounds
Plot:
Based on the true events of the only case in US History where a spirit caused the death of a man. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
3 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(22 articles)
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User Comments:
An abomination of film more (720 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
An American Haunting - The Billwitch Story (Philippines: English title) (poster title)
Cauchemar américain (Canada: French title)
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MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for intense terror sequences and thematic material.
Runtime:
USA:91 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The movie is actually based on a true story. Andrew Jackson is quoted as saying, "I would rather take on the entire English Fleet than stay one night at the Bell House." He later formed a group of men to test the rumors of the Bell haunting. Their findings are documented in M. V. Ingram's 1894 book, An Authenticated History of The Famous Bell Witch. This movie was based on the book by Brent Monahan,The Bell Witch: An American Haunting the Famous Bell Witch. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When the bed sheet is being pulled up over Betsy, right when the lightning flashes, a string or wire is clearly visible. more
Quotes:
Richard Powell: [of Betsy] Can she love me?
Lucy Bell: She will.
more
Movie Connections:
References Monster (2003) more

FAQ

A Note Regarding Spoilers
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
Is Ingram's book about the Bell Witch available for reading online?
more
42 out of 70 people found the following comment useful.
An abomination of film, 30 August 2006
2/10
Author: trixster7 from Edmonton, Canada

Despite being based on one of the most famous ghost stories in American history and including a solid cast, this 'horror' film is anything but scary, dramatic, or even interesting. Instead, the flick is largely boring, confusing, and poorly executed. Even though it clocks in at a running time of just 90 minutes or so, the film drags throughout most of the non-horror scenes, and even through some of the so-called 'scary' moments. All of it leads up to a conclusion that is baffling, illogical, and very stupid. The twist is one of the least sensible of its kind in recent memory, as there is nothing in the film, up to that point, to warrant such a move. Pretty much a terrible film.

Though the cast looks solid on paper, the acting here is quite bad. Everyone looks like they're just picking up a paycheck, from Sutherland, who looks bored, to Spacek, who's never been more shrill, to Rachel Hurd-Word, who attempts to do her best Linda Blair impression but ends up just screaming and staring around wide-eyed most of the time. The direction is absolutely abysmal, as all scenes with the spirit look incredibly amateurish with the swooping camera, and, for some reason, are shot in black and white. Although it's clear this was done with some foolish artistic idea in mind, it ends up standing out terribly and erases any small amount of suspense or tension that might have been built up. Most of the suspense, though, is destroyed by the absolutely atrocious editing, which is, at once, frustrating, annoying, and pointless. It all adds up to a lame excuse for a horror film.

The only thing that saves this from being a complete waste is that there are some cool visuals, and occasionally some decent cinematography. Other than that, though, this is an abomination of film, with terrible acting, dreadful directing, and awful editing. A complete waste of time.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for An American Haunting (2005)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Ending makes NO sense *Spoilers* ozahid
This movie is heavily under-rated iruon_itauol
syfy airing reeseslightning
This movie reminded me of... vee-vee
I hope Sutherland and Spacek ... EJF
Great Idea, Bad Director *spoiler* heart_shaped_box221
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