Detailing the supposed true events of the haunting of a family be a violent, supernatural entity in 19th Century United States, 'An American Haunting' follows the story of the Bell family whose lives are disrupted by this malevolent being.
It has often been said that the two most important elements to great horror are mystery and suspense and while 'An American Haunting' may fall outside of the remit of true greatness it certainly succeeds in offering up more mystery and suspense than nigh-on any other film of its era. Here we have a constantly progressive and evolving cinematic work that utilises these traditional elements of horror to evoke the purest feelings of trepidation, and at times, outright distress. The way in which the subject is handled shows an unequivocal savvy and appreciations for the nuances of horror as director, Courtney Solomon, cunningly opts to slowly but surely increase the intensity of the horror portrayed within the film until the production becomes more of an exercise in endurance for the viewer as much as the characters and through this hell that Solomon clearly wishes to inflict upon us we perhaps become more sympathetic towards the Bell family and the torment through which they must suffer in much the same way that one may sympathise with the plight of Reagan and Chris in the similarly themed, 'The Exorcist (1973)'.
These traditional methods of inducing uneasiness are blended with more contemporary methods of capturing them. Cinematographer, Adrian Biddle (who had previously worked as the Director of Photography on James Cameron's 'Aliens (1986)'), truly compliments Solomon's storytelling with some splendid sweeping shots reminiscent of 'Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)', highly-stylised colour distorted images as popularised in 'Natural Born Killers (1994)' and featured prominently in the recent 'House of 1000 Corpses (2003)' as well as what may well be a nod to the pioneering film-making of Sam Raimi in 'The Evil Dead (1981)'. Perhaps because of this there is an inherent beauty about 'An American Haunting' that sporadically shines through before being savagely torn apart by the ferocious, supernatural assaults inflicted upon the Bell family and undoubtedly this helps to enhance the terror of the movie even more. Further to this, the superlative use of sound, whether it is from the soundtrack or from within the world we are presented with, embellishes the quality of the film further, reinforcing the dread and provoking further, visceral reaction from virtually each noise.
Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek were perfectly cast as the heads of the Bell family while the young Rachel Hurd-Wood is exceptional in her role as the daughter. In all, the acting throughout from the minimalist cast is of a high-standard with only a few (noticeable) instances of hammed-up acting. This is a minor flaw, however, and rarely detracts from the movie. On the other hand, despite praise for the progressive nature it does seem appropriate to also criticise what feels like repetition that eventually sinks in towards the end and the movie does struggle to justify what is actually a rather short run-time. Complaints aside this may well be the best American horror film for five years.
It has often been said that the two most important elements to great horror are mystery and suspense and while 'An American Haunting' may fall outside of the remit of true greatness it certainly succeeds in offering up more mystery and suspense than nigh-on any other film of its era. Here we have a constantly progressive and evolving cinematic work that utilises these traditional elements of horror to evoke the purest feelings of trepidation, and at times, outright distress. The way in which the subject is handled shows an unequivocal savvy and appreciations for the nuances of horror as director, Courtney Solomon, cunningly opts to slowly but surely increase the intensity of the horror portrayed within the film until the production becomes more of an exercise in endurance for the viewer as much as the characters and through this hell that Solomon clearly wishes to inflict upon us we perhaps become more sympathetic towards the Bell family and the torment through which they must suffer in much the same way that one may sympathise with the plight of Reagan and Chris in the similarly themed, 'The Exorcist (1973)'.
These traditional methods of inducing uneasiness are blended with more contemporary methods of capturing them. Cinematographer, Adrian Biddle (who had previously worked as the Director of Photography on James Cameron's 'Aliens (1986)'), truly compliments Solomon's storytelling with some splendid sweeping shots reminiscent of 'Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)', highly-stylised colour distorted images as popularised in 'Natural Born Killers (1994)' and featured prominently in the recent 'House of 1000 Corpses (2003)' as well as what may well be a nod to the pioneering film-making of Sam Raimi in 'The Evil Dead (1981)'. Perhaps because of this there is an inherent beauty about 'An American Haunting' that sporadically shines through before being savagely torn apart by the ferocious, supernatural assaults inflicted upon the Bell family and undoubtedly this helps to enhance the terror of the movie even more. Further to this, the superlative use of sound, whether it is from the soundtrack or from within the world we are presented with, embellishes the quality of the film further, reinforcing the dread and provoking further, visceral reaction from virtually each noise.
Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek were perfectly cast as the heads of the Bell family while the young Rachel Hurd-Wood is exceptional in her role as the daughter. In all, the acting throughout from the minimalist cast is of a high-standard with only a few (noticeable) instances of hammed-up acting. This is a minor flaw, however, and rarely detracts from the movie. On the other hand, despite praise for the progressive nature it does seem appropriate to also criticise what feels like repetition that eventually sinks in towards the end and the movie does struggle to justify what is actually a rather short run-time. Complaints aside this may well be the best American horror film for five years.