The Haunting of Bryan Becket (2009)
"The Skeptic" (original title)

A tormented man's reluctant search for greater meaning in his life.

Director:

Tennyson Bardwell

Writer:

Tennyson Bardwell

Stars:

Tim Daly, Tom Arnold, Zoe Saldana

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tim Daly	...	Bryan Becket
Tom Arnold	...	Sully
Zoe Saldana	...	Cassie
Edward Herrmann	...	Dr. Shepard (as Ed Herrmann)
Andrea Roth	...	Robin Becket
Robert Prosky	...	Father Wymond
Bruce Altman	...	Dr. Koven
Lea Coco	...	Deputy Lura
Sara Weaver	...	Helena Becket (as Sarah Weaver)
L.J. Foley	...	Young Bryan Becket
Paul Tietjen	...	Michael Becket
Steve Fletcher	...	Courtroom Lawyer
Christina Rouner	...	Courtroom Witness
Catherine Wyler	...	Carol
James DiSalvatore	...	Carl

Storyline

After the mysterious death of his Aunt, a confirmed skeptic lawyer, Bryan Becket, dismisses reports that his Aunt's house is haunted and moves in. Immediately occurrences begin he cannot explain. And beyond the occurrences there is something about the house which gnaws at Becket - some strange connection he senses he has with the house's past. Soon, the haunting turns personal, he hears voices suggesting clues to a deep mystery. He questions his sanity, seeks medical help, but instead finds assistance in a young psychic who immediately declares, "There's a very bad secret in this house." Together they embark on a terrifying journey to uncover the secret - a journey which leads them deep into the recesses of The Skeptic's own troubled mind.

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Plot Keywords:

lawyer | halloween | doll | haunted house | priest | 

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Taglines:

what do you believe?

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Details

Official Sites:

IFC Films [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 June 2010 (Kazakhstan)

Also Known As:

Herança Paranormal

Filming Locations:

Ballston Spa, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$1,553 (USA) (1 May 2009)

Gross:

$6,223 (USA) (15 May 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Day Dreamer Films, Intrinsic Value Films, Saratoga Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Prosky's final film.

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Goofs

When Bryan (Daly) goes down to the wine cellar and gets a bottle of wine (at about 45 min. mark), it appears to be a brown bottle with a white label. It looks the same when the scene shifts to him trying to open the trunk. But a few moments later, when the scene shifts to him sitting at the table eating, with the bottle of wine quite obvious, talking about "what's in the trunk"...the wine bottle is green with an obviously colorful label.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[Deputy Lura looks around the dark house with his flashlight]
Deputy Lura: Miss Deaver? It's Deputy Lura, ma'am. Got a phone call from this house. Somebody hung up. Everything all right? Miss Deaver?
[He hears a sound]
Deputy Lura: Is somebody in there? I can hear you, you know. Miss Deaver, is that you?
[His flashlight finds Dead Miss Deaver, who appears to have died of fright]
Deputy Lura: Jesus!

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Connections

References The Haunting (1999)

User Reviews

Scariest horror film I've ever seen

Hmmm... that should get a lot of "not helpful" votes, as all "-est of all time" comments are bound to get.

Okay, too, that you say this isn't a horror film. I accept that. As far as makeup, effects, and gore go, this is on the extremely tame end of the horror spectrum, if it can even be said to fit the genre. Nevertheless, it is very scary. What do you call a really scary movie that doesn't scare you using any methods that fit the definition of "horrific", like blood etc? You got me.

The true test of movie scariness, as far as I'm concerned, is how often during the viewing you feel compelled to look behind you, you know, to make sure nothing's there creeping up on you. That's it. Jumping out of your skin is of course another time-tested gauge of scariness, but movie makers now have a formula for making the audience do that whenever they want, so it's really lost most of its cache.

Whatever you want to call it, this movie scared the bejesus out of me. This is a high-quality film with great acting, writing, directing, etc. The ending was also great. This movie scares you using story, subtlety, and a steady buildup that's just delicious every step of the way. Without spoiling anything, I'd just like to say that my favorite scene is when they find the doll. Tim Daly's reaction is Oscar-worthy. It's a shame this movie didn't get a proper wide release.

The only thing that bothered me was that it sounded like Tom Arnold had a cold for most of his scenes. After searching the internet I've concluded that I'm the only one who noticed this.