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 enlarge | Director: Courtney Solomon
Actors: Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek, James D'arcy, Rachel Hurd-wood
Studio: Lionsgate
Category: Movie
Buy New: $9.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  124 reviews
Sales Rank: 13569
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: Video On Demand
Running Time: 91
ASIN: B000KI1UAQ
Theatrical Release Date: May 4, 2006
Release Date: October 15, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 A criminally underrated horror masterpiece July 31, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
There are many things in this world I will never understand, and one of them is how this movie's ratings can be so low. Simply put, An American Haunting is the best haunted house movie I have ever seen. I have to admit I did not like or approve of the way the story ended, and the modern-day intro and exit scenes were wholly unnecessary, but everything in between is pure haunted gold. I have to believe that some viewers' dissatisfaction comes from knowing what happens before they see the movie, as even the editorial review on this page reveals one of the film's core secrets. As much as I disapprove of its existence, that particular secret (which bears the unmistakable fingerprints of sleazy Hollywood) plays out beautifully in the film's presentation. Cut out the modern-day cinematic bookends, and this film has one of the most impressive scripts I've come across in some time. The much-ballyhooed cast play up to their potential and then some, the direction is flawless, and the special effects (including the POV scenes that some viewers ridicule) are, to my mind, incredibly effective. I absolutely love An American Haunting.
Basing itself on the only documented case in US history of a spirit causing someone's death, An American Haunting basically markets itself. Don't get too wrapped up in the historicity of this movie, though, as director Courtney Solomon plays fast and loose with the true story of the Bell Witch. The "based on true events" moniker is in fact quite disingenuous, as this movie is really based on Brent Monahan's purely fictional novel The Bell Witch: An American Haunting. Anyone who knows anything about hauntings knows the legend of the Bell Witch, an entity that no less a man than Andrew Jackson supposedly confronted (although there's no evidence to substantiate that claim), but this is not the real Bell Witch's story.
John Bell (Donald Sutherland) was a big man in his little Tennessee town - until the church fathers condemned him for charging Kate Batts too much interest on a loan. Batts, widely reputed to be a witch, openly threatens Bell and his innocent daughter Betsy (Rachel Hurd-Wood), and it isn't long at all until strange things start happening in and around the Bell home. Bell starts seeing animal spirits that disappear in the wink of an eye, increasingly disturbing scratching and running sounds in the attic and roof begin disturbing the family's sleep, and all too soon young Betsy is targeted for physical abuse by an unseen spirit. John and his wife Lucy (Sissy Spacek) initially believe Betsy is having nightmares, but the sight of their daughter suspended in midair while being slapped around mercilessly by an unseen spirit pretty much puts an end to the nightmare theory. Now desperate, John calls in the local school teacher Richard Powell (James D'Arcy), who insists there is a natural explanation for what is happening - until he sees the entity's handiwork for himself. As the nightly attacks become increasingly violent and terrifying, we witness the toll it takes on everyone concerned, particularly John and Betsy. All the while, almost unnoticeably at times, important little puzzle pieces are being dropped along the way - and that is why the ending, as much as I disapprove of it, works so amazingly well.
I thought the way the director approached the presentation of the attacks was exceedingly effective, particularly the entity point-of-view shots. Some viewers apparently disagree with me on that, but I thought all of the unconventional camera work made the attacks all the more real and visceral - and ratcheted up the sense of helplessness and chaos in the house. This movie definitely has the potential to scare more than a few viewers. The casting director deserves a ton of credit, as well. The gorgeous Rachel Hurd-Wood truly brings Betsy to life, and I can't overstate just how challenging that role must have been. Sissy Spacek and Donald Sutherland are even more impressive as John and Lucy Bell. Sutherland was the perfect choice for John Bell, while Spacek works wonders in what I consider a somewhat understated role.
I know I'm repeating myself here, but I have to state once again that An American Haunting is the best haunted house (for want of a better term) movie I have ever seen. I can't for the life of me understand why some many critics and viewers have panned this film. Methinks the fact that a movie this riveting and impressive can be so disparaged does much to explain why Hollywood turns out so much brainless drivel these days.
 A Sad Story July 4, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Bell Witch is a legend throughout the Southeastern part of the United States. It is rumored that Pres. Andrew Jackson confronted the entity. Of all the potential stories and variations possible for this legend, this movie obliterated the lore.
Many people enjoy the folklore of the Bell Witch and the only known death attributed to a supernatural entity. The movie starts great with good characters, realistic performances, and great effects. About mid-way through, all that changes. Suddenly, the characters fall into aged stereotypes. You will probably already know what those are.
The conclusion of the story is utterly predictable. This is a prime situation where they start with good intentions, but fall woefully short of the mark. It's feminism gone painfully awry and you wonder why on earth you wasted 90 minutes when the best part is the first 45.
True story or not, it just didnt captivate me. June 29, 2008
This one needed work done with the editing and plot to help it along. It starts off in the present day by a girl being chased by a ghost, then her mother starts to read a letter someone has sent her about her family. Then the movie is what happened in the past.
Donald Sutherland plays a husband and father to a daughter. He wins a kind of olden day church court case saying he now owns the property of a witch. She does not like that he has taken her land, and she curses him and his family.
Then strange things happen to them, and a ghost begins to terrorize them.
And thats about the whole movie really.
In most parts it can be pretty boring to watch, the suspence relies on loud sounds after silence and a few shadows moving around. It's not much really.
The intro message tries to convince you that this is based on a true story, that there is only one case in American history where a ghost has killed a living human being... yeah... okay, whatever they reckons going to sell there story I suppose.
I lost interest by the end of the movie, I didn't even see if the start of the film had anything to do with the end of it. I was falling asleep and just did not really care by that stage.
It's far from the worst movie I've ever seen, but it was not one I would want to see again. It might work for your tastes, but I would honestly recommend you look elsewhere to find an entertaining ghost story.
Real Life Ghost - Real Life Haunting May 23, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I first heard of the Bell Witch when the movie "An American Haunting" was released in theaters in 2005. I did a little research on the internet, and found a forum discussion in the Paranormal section of [...]. There wasn't much in the way of information about the haunting, but we are talking about an event that is almost 200 years old, and you can expect the information to be a bit scarce.
So, when I received a copy of "An American Haunting" to review, I didn't know what to expect. But I was excited, after all, movies about true-life hauntings are a necessity for certain times of the year (A Hallow's Eve), aren't they!
The movie doesn't waste any time in getting to the action, and right away I found myself perched on the edge of the couch, wondering what was going to happen. And the entire movie was like that. It wasn't until the very end that I had one of those "Ah ha" moments and received a bit of clarity about the story-line.
Set in rural Tennessee in the early 1800s, "An American Haunting" is based on the true story of a spirit who repeatedly brutally attacks the Bell family (and actually causes the death of one of the family members). The movie stars Donald Sutherland as John Bell, Sissy Spacek as his wife Lucy and Rachel Hurd-Wood as their daughter Betsy. Their story starts off with John Bell having a heated argument with a woman who is rumored to be a witch. After their argument, things start happening at the Bell home. At first it's just small noises, but soon the spirit encounters become violent, and center on the daughter, Betsy.
I'm glad I wasn't too familiar with the legend of the Bell Witch, because I didn't worry about whether the story was following the legend or not, and I just enjoyed the movie for what it was ---- haunting and scary! And I think that just knowing it was based on a real haunting made it even scarier.
The acting was great, and the scenery was absolutely stunning! The visual effects were believable and not too crazy. The story itself was not just a horror movie, but truly a psychological thriller that kept you wondering until the end what was going on.
A great thriller anytime, but definitely now part of my Halloween scary movie watching tradition, "An American Haunting" is a great movie for anyone who loves a good ghost story; especially those stories of real-life hauntings.
Could have been a much better "Haunting" April 9, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Blech!!!
Let's not mince words here. What could have been a really strong and truly frightening film, because it was based on historical truth, was not to be realized. How many times can one watch the exact same things going on in a film until you turn it off? I don't know, because I was foolish enough to watch to the most ridiculous end!
Two stars- because the cinematography saved this film from the bottom. No recommendation in the least.
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