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.

Director:

Courtney Solomon

Writers:

Brent Monahan (novel), Courtney Solomon

Stars:

Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek, Rachel Hurd-Wood

5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Donald Sutherland	...	John Bell
Sissy Spacek	...	Lucy Bell
James D'Arcy	...	Richard Powell
Rachel Hurd-Wood	...	Betsy Bell / Entity Voice
Matthew Marsh	...	James Johnston
Thom Fell	...	John Bell Jr.
Zoe Thorne	...	Theny Thorn (as Zoë Thorne)
Gaye Brown	...	Kathe Batts
Sam Alexander	...	Joshua Gardner
Miquel Brown	...	Chloe
Vernon Dobtcheff	...	Elder #1
Shauna Shim	...	Anky
Madalina Stan	...	Ethereal Girl
Philip Hurd-Wood	...	Partygoer (as Phillip Hurd-Wood)
Vlad Cruceru	...	Richard Bell (aged 6)

Storyline

In 2006, in Red River, Tennessee, a teenager has frequent nightmares. Her mother reads an old letter from 1817 written by her ancestor, Lucy Bell. After a dispute of lands judged by the church, her husband John Bell is cursed by his opponent Kathe Batts, who has a fame of being a witch. From this moment on, an entity threatens John and her daughter Betsy Bell, attacking the girl during the nights. With the support of Betsy's school teacher Richard Powell, who tries to find rational explanations for the manifestation; her brother John Bell Jr.; and their friend James Johnston, who unsuccessfully tries to exorcize the entity from the house, the family does their best to protect Betsy in the haunted house.

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Plot Keywords:

flashback | voice over letter | year 1818 | lifting someone into the air | paranormal phenomena | 

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Taglines:

Possession Knows No Bounds

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Genres:

Drama | History | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense terror sequences and thematic material

Details

Official Sites:

CTV International [France] Official site

Country:

UK Canada Romania USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 May 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Apariciones

Filming Locations:

Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$14,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£541,446 (United Kingdom), 16 April 2006, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,783,508, 7 May 2006, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$16,298,046, 23 July 2006

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$29,612,137

Company Credits

Production Co:

Allan Zeman Productions, Midsummer Films, Remstar Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min 91 min (unrated)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Houses in 1810 in eastern Tennessee would not have been as large as the houses depicted in this film.

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Goofs

Right after John Bell gets knocked out by the door slamming shut, the "spirit" re-opens the door. A hand can be seen quickly pulling away from the knob on the other side.

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Quotes

Richard Powell: [of Betsy] Can she love me?
Lucy Bell: She will.

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Alternate Versions

The DVD is released in an Unrated Version, which has a number of differences from the original PG-13 version.

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Connections

Referenced in Forensic Files: Sworded Scheme (2009)

User Reviews

fair ghost story but lacks scares

A divorced mother is living in the woods with her daughter suffering from nightmares. She finds a letter from 1848 by the previous occupant recounting the tale of the Bell Witch. It's 1817 Red River, Tennessee. The church finds John Bell (Donald Sutherland) of usury for charging 20% interest against rumored witch Kate Batts. However Batts doesn't get her expected reciprocity and vows revenge on him and his beloved daughter Betsy (Rachel Hurd-Wood).

It looks good but there are few scares. The jump scares come with regularity which only makes it less scary. It's a lot of loud surprise noises and horror soundtrack. Sutherland and Sissy Spacek seem to be slumming it here in this one. This could work with Rachel Hurd-Wood front and center. Instead the movie starts with another girl in a different time period. It takes awhile to get to her and the movie keeps going back to the veterans. The reveal is problematic and a little bit confusing. This is a fair ghost story but it isn't scary.