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

John Bell: You were always a sound sleeper.

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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

Good publicity for Brent Monahan's novel, if nothing more.

Being the Horror freak that I am, I like reviewing the films I watch, for future references as wall as for others to hopefully read and benefit.

An American haunting is a ghost story attempting to raise fear in the hearts of spectators without using the common methods. Unlike other ghost films, no visible ghost with a creepy face is visible here, except for in one scene towards the end, and even then only for a second. Also, there was no use of the annoying "sudden occurrence + loud bass music" (and that's good, for I'm tired of directors using that cheat).

So, while "playing fair" in trying to make us scared - the outcome was fairly disappointing. The story is good (though the film is based on a novel, so I could only be decent and give credit to the author for that, rather than the director or screenwriter). The turn of events towards the end was successful in catching me off guard. In the beginning of the film I actually guessed the information uncovered towards the ending, but the film did a good job in throwing me off and making me forget about it.

Acting-wise, this film is a complete let down. Except for Mathew Marsh, whose vivid and true acting of religious/drunk James Jhonston was an island of comfort in a sea of let-down, the actors were mediocre at best. I'm not sure it was only the acting, perhaps also the direction... but the way the family reacted to the tragedy that befell them was as unrealistic as possible. It was like an unnatural disaster had happened, and their reaction is "meh, this isn't good..."

All in all, I did enjoy watching An American Haunting, but wasn't at all spooked by it. The entire "horror" part was simply absent. Objectively - I wouldn't blame anyone who would't like this film one bit. However, if nothing more - it serves as a good "trailer" for Brent Monahan's novel, of which I wouldn't have known without this film, and which I'm now very curious to read!