An American Haunting (2005) User Reviews

A Predictable Semi-fiction

[xvaasan · 5/10 · 27 May 2006]

Acting. Thats the most noticeable thing you will find in this movie. All the characters have performed well and acted according to the period of the story. I haven't watched Bell Witch Haunting (2004) but I have read a lot about the original legend. Instead of retelling the actual event, this movie revolves around it, giving us an entirely different interpretation of the haunting. Also, it tells nothing about General Andrew Jackson who visited Bell's family during that time and later became the American President. Its worthy to note that he was once quoted as saying - "I'd rather face the whole British Army, than face the Bell Witch again".

Around 1818, a farming family living in Tennessee is haunted by a spirit, the most affected ones being the daughter Betsy and the father John Bell. While the father's health deteriorates, the daughter gets all poltergeistic treatment. Slowly, they suspect the woman (also witch?) Kate Batts who previously has some legal issues with John and curses him that he and his daughter will suffer for his deeds. The haunting gets worse and the family members try to fight back the ghost in their own ways. By the end, when they seem to have abandoned their faith, the spirit itself reveals the reason for its existence.

The scary scenes are predictable but good. The notable ones are the first major attack on Betsy, the swing encounter, Richard's questions, John's visions, the cave and the best of all is the chariot ride. Excellent cinematography. A few good things in this movie keep us on the edge and makes us wait for the best part. But that best part never comes.

The fictional ending, though unexpected and slightly shocking, is not conceived properly. The movie begins with a Night-Shyamalan-like atmosphere. Most of it feels like as if you are watching The Village. Later it goes on to remind us of The Poltergeist, The Exorcist, Child's Play and several others, even The Omen. The ending is tried in a Lynchian manner - just tried. Sadly, it doesn't register in us at all.

Overall, this movie has good acting, good cinematography, few honestly scaring scenes and a different interpretation to the original Bell Witch Haunting. Nevertheless, it has a confused screenplay, half-baked script and an overhasty direction. The slow scenes are empty and the fast scenes are packed. So the balance is knocked out and what results is boredom. Watch it for the good aspects but make sure to take lots of popcorn inside the theatre. You'll need them to stay awake.

Missed opportunity

[rlaine · 5/10 · 20 October 2014]

Ran into this while looking for a horror movie to watch on a Saturday evening. I'm not really into gory horror, but this kind of psychological and maybe supernatural is more my cup of tea. It looked like an atmospheric piece with foggy scenery, old houses, churches, autumnal feel with some candles and fireplaces etc. Cast looked good, I'm a fan of Donald Sutherland and why not Sissy Spacek too. Only I was a bit suspicious since this had flown under my radar. Out of all the many many "haunting" movies to come out during this millennium, I didn't recall this one.

If only I had realized the movie was directed by the same guy who did the infamous Dungeon's and Dragons back in the day. The director is not a very well known "bad director", because he only has a few movies under his resume, but none of them seem to have a very good reputation. Had I known this, I would surely have passed this.

The movie is never very engaging. The atmosphere and scenery is OK, but the camera work is not. The camera moves in a very distracting manner and the shots are not very well framed in my opinion. The sets look OK, but details fail like a fireplace looks like a few fake logs on a gas fire. So much for the genuine 1800's feel. The acting is everything from downright bad to mediocre. Even Sutherland doesn't nail it, there are a few scenes that are rather cringe worthy. Rachel Hurd-Wood is OK tho, I think she does quite well and is never as lost or overacting as the others.

The movie isn't very scary and since the outcome is obviously non-supernatural, it's difficult to digest all the supernatural stuff. There are cheapish tricks like the image changing from black and white to color. The sound fx were not that good, listening with headphones. The title graphics uses a typeface that is probably called "The horror movie font" on a site providing royalty free fonts. The overall feel was quite cheap and lacks any sense of style. The framing story of a single mother and a daughter living in a modern world is quite tacky too.

This could've been passable as a shorter episode of Masters of Horror style series, as it's got that cheap TV feel, but even then it would've been a disappointment. Avoid.

Why make the movie not consistent with the TRUE Bell Witch story?

[prestont-1 · 4/10 · 30 November 2006]

In my opinion, the true Bell Witch story gives an excellent opportunity for a great American ghost story/horror film, by simply using the facts of the true story from early 1800's Tennessee. Why did the producers feel the need to turn it into a completely different plot/ending? The only thing about the film that is consistent with the true Bell Witch story is the names of the characters and that it is set in early 1800's Tennessee. In fact, if I was a descendant of John Bell or Betsy Bell or any of the people referenced in this movie (and there are lots of them), I would be appalled at the way they portray John Bell as a child abusing rapist. What was the need in that? Was this a true American "ghost story", or was it a movie about child abuse and rape? In my opinion, child abuse and rape are far too important of a subject matter to be something that is thrown in at the end of an otherwise true American ghost story, just to provide a "shocking twist" for the end of the movie. It had nothing to do with the true story, and frankly, I think it was just thrown in to add interest, and that is not a very appreciative thing to do. Being from near the area where this true story supposedly happened, I somewhat know about this story, and have even visited the site in Adams, TN. And I would imagine that all involved in the true story are not very appreciative of the movie's "choice" of turning John Bell into a child abusing rapist.

I gave it a 4, because they chose a story that COULD'VE been a great ghost story, it does have a decent cast, and the acting is not "bad". But, like most Hollywood "horror films" of today, it has to throw in that "shocking twist" at the end that just screws up everything, and even makes it go completely off course from the original, true plot. They could've made it a great one, and they screwed it up. It's not un-entertaining. It has some pretty cool effects, and some good scary scenes. If it weren't for those, I would've given it a lower rating. But in my opinion, it is a story/plot/cast that could've possibly received a 10-star rating had they simply stuck to the original TRUE story.

Enjoy

If you know the Bell Witch legend don't see this movie.

[sluggo2112 · 3/10 · 21 April 2006]

We saw this movie last night at the Nashville Film Festival and sat 3 rows behind Courtney Solomon (the director). The ending we saw last night was recently changed because the previous ending got such a horrible review. In my opinion they should have just stopped the movie 2 minutes short.

I was raised in middle Tennessee about 3 hours south of the Adams farm and grew up hearing all the stories and reading all the books so I'm a pretty big fan of the Bell Witch. I wanted so badly for his movie to be an accurate representation of the "real" story but it was not. As in all movies these days they had to put a big twist at the end to shock everyone. This twist completely kills the movie and nullifies the whole Bell Witch legend. The movie even contradicts itself and in the end just becomes a confusing mess.

If you are looking for jolts and some scary scenes you will not be disappointed. My hair stood on end more times than I think it ever has before. And up until the ending I was willing to give it an 8 out of 10. The last 2 minutes or so absolutely kill this movie. Once we saw the ending all the little hints throughout the movie tied together in the worse kind of way and the movie falls apart. If you are a Bell Witch fan you will hate this movie. If you do not know the story you will probably love the movie and just think the ending was dumb.

In the Bell Witch legend Betsy Bell is tormented by a spirit named Kate that follows her wherever she goes. It starts out with what is considered poltergeist activity (strange noises, things moving around the house, etc...) but then becomes abusive and begins pulling Betsy's hair, scratching and slapping her, etc... She even vomits needles at one point. In the end though the spirit focuses its attention on John Bell and ultimately poisons him. This is the legend.

** Spoilers follow ***

The movie follows along the story fairly closely but in the end its John Bell who is abusing and raping Betsy Bell. Betsy has conjured up this "protector" spirit because of his abuse. That's the big twist. And its the mother Lucy Bell that poisons John Bell due to this abuse. The spirit which is apparently Betsy Bell's spirit (?????) then returns in 2006 to warn a relative of the Bell's that her ex-husband is abusing their daughter. Just stupid. To me this destroys the whole legend.

There were so many parts of the legend that they should have put in but instead focused on shocker rape scenes and dreams she was having so you never knew what was real and what wasn't. No mention of the Andrew Jackson incident or the witch singing "Row me up some Brandy'o" in front of 500 people at John Bell's funeral. Instead we got more shocker scenes and more of Betsy being drug around by the hair. Just how many times do we need to see Betsy being drug around by the hair anyway? I've waited for years for a good movie that tells us the real Bell Witch legend and I guess I'll keep waiting.

A really dreadful movie.

[BA_Harrison · 1/10 · 11 December 2006]

Based on the true story of the Bell Witch (an apparently well documented case in the US), An American Haunting is another absolute clunker from writer/director Courtney Solomon, the man who gave us the equally lamentable Dungeons and Dragons six years ago. I'm not in the habit of dishing out the lowest possible score to movies I review on IMDb, but this tedious tale of malevolent spirits is an exceptionally bad film that truly deserves a roasting.

Set in the early 1800's, the film centres around the Bells, a well-to-do Tennessee family who suffer from a series of 'terrifying' supernatural attacks after they are cursed by a local woman (believed by some to be a witch). Betsy Bell (Rachel Hurd-Wood), the youngest daughter is repeatedly targeted by the spirit; she is dragged by her hair, lifted off the floor, and slapped. Her father also suffers badly and his health deteriorates. Despite their best efforts, nothing seems to stop the awful disturbances.

After introducing the characters and establishing the basic premise, the film lapses into a succession of repetitive and not-in-the-slightest-bit-scary scenes in which Betsy is abused both physically and mentally by the 'ghost'. With risible special effects and some terrible directorial decisions (the pathetic ghostly POV is simply woeful), the film elicits more sniggers than screams.

Donald Sutherland sleepwalks his way through the role of patriarch, whilst Rachel Hurd-Wood comes off like a bargain basement Linda Blair, unable to convincingly portray the terror she is supposedly experiencing. Solomon, struggling to conjure up anything remotely creepy, chucks in a few obvious and ineffectual mechanical scares and then inadvisedly attempts a ludicrous 'twist' ending, which he completely botches.

A lot of people have criticised this film for not being true to the facts; I criticise it for being truly awful in pretty much every aspect.

The only scary thing about this film was how many 13-year-old girls turned up to the theater to watch this on opening night.

[josh-694 · 1/10 · 6 May 2006]

Since most of the movie was utterly disappointing, I will start with the only positive aspect, Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek. Both of these actors played their part well and if it weren't for such a terrible story and generic scare tactics, they may have been able to save the movie. Alas, like many of the PG-13 horror films of today not even good acting can make up for a shady plot, bad directing and terrible editing. The film is based on the poltergeist story involving a family in rural Tennessee in the early 1800's. The story is filled with the garbled and incoherent dreams of seemingly possessed Betsy Bell, played by Rachel Hurd-Wood. In a movie built around a ghost story it was disappointing to see cheap scare tactics instead of making the movie all around eerie. I am not sure what director Courtney Solomon was thinking when he chose to film the movie with a style similar to a low budget "hack 'em slash 'em" film from the 80's, but clearly there are better ways of scaring an audience. While the filming style could have used some work, the editing and special effects were a disaster. It mostly resembled a bad soap opera. It jumps around between dreams and reality faster than Ricky Williams' in a Marijuana haze. A movie like this doesn't need a whole lot of special effects but the few that it had were terrible and even ruined the scenes. The poltergeist was nothing more than Betsy with a slight hue around her.

The only scary thing about this film was how many 13-year-old girls turned up to the theater to watch this on opening night. As a fan of horror films I understand if you want to judge this for yourself, but listen to my words wisely; don't bother.

Sound, Visuals Overwhelm Weaker Story

[ccthemovieman-1 · 6/10 · 18 March 2007]

I really don't have any major complaints about the film except it was more of a visual-audio experience than a memorable story. That makes me wonder how times I would watch this, since I already own a lot of great visual movies. Cinematography-wise, this film reminded me a bit of Sleepy Hollow, but not quite as dramatically filmed as that. There also is excellent 5.1surround sound in here. Being a ghost story, and one that is trying to scare the viewer here and there, sudden jolts of sound is important and utilized well here.

I also appreciated this was done without almost any profanity and with famous actors like Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek. I expected some Bible-bashing since that's normally the case in these ghost or witch stories, but it wasn't bad here. However, the "surprise" almost political-correctness ending didn't really surprise me, considering how films are these days.

A decent movie but 50-50 whether I would watch it again.

Could have been much better.....

[Prissysmother · 4/10 · 7 May 2006]

As someone who is very familiar with the legend of the Bell Witch I must say that I was very disappointed in this film. I live in Tennessee and have been to Adams, TN on several occasions and have read numerous accounts of what is said to have happened to the Bell family. I guess that I was expecting the storyline to be more in tune with the legend. There are several parts of the legend that should have been included that were for whatever reason omitted. There is no account of the story that I have found that indicates that there had been any sexual abuse of Betsy Bell by her father. Guess this just goes to show that this day and age you can't even have a good haunting without there being some sexual connotation implied.

A knockout, terrifying 'grab you by your throat' ghost story that recalls Jack Clayton's The Innocents and Robert Wise's classic, The Haunting.

[danland2 · 11 November 2005]

Let's say it flat out, An American Haunting is the scariest, most intelligent ghost story to hit the screen in two decades. More original than The Others (which was a watered down cocktail of The Innocents and The Sixth Sense), and ten times more effective than the pallid The Exorcism of Emily Rose, An American Haunting wastes no time in setting itself up as a thriller with something more on its mind than just simply rehashing the same old grab bag scare tactics that every 'Exorcist' remake/rehash resorts to. Based on The Bell Witch, an apparently true account of demonic possession that resulted in the first recorded case of a ghost actually killing a human being over a hundred and fifty years ago in Tennessee, the film elevates itself by not wallowing in cheap tricks to scare you, and by always taking the high road. And, by doing so it creates it's very own world, a unnerving mood and an a undercurrent that prevails throughout until, when you least expect it - it strikes out, grabs you by the throat, and doesn't let go until the very last frame. The sheer terror of waiting and watching until the entire story unfolds (in a way you least expect) is so original and surprising, that by the time the finale hits you, it shatters you like no other horror film you've ever seen . The performances by Donald Sutherland and Rachel Hurd-Wood are first rate. It's their story all the way, and the beauty and generosity of the other actors subtle, effective performance (especially Sissy Spacek) is a testament to their respect of the material. But the real star of this film is director/writer Courtney Solomon. After having recovered from the bollocking he took for the impossible task of bringing Dungeons & Dragons: The Movie, to the screen Mr Solomon has rebounded with a story he was born to tell, and the result is an assured, first rate thriller, told with intelligence, force, style and wit. It's a roller coaster ride all the way, so fasten your seat belts. The audience I saw it with at the AFI Film Festival could not have been more responsive. You could actually feel the hair on the back of your neck standing up. The cinematography by master Adrian Biddle and the score by Caine Davidson are first rate, and help propel you into an unforgettable ghost story that will linger in your memory and haunt your dreams/nightmares for months after.

Disappointing Conclusion

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 19 March 2007]

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 (Sissy Spacek). After a dispute of lands judged by the church, her husband John Bell (Donald Sutherland) is cursed by his opponent Kathe Batts (Gaye Brown), who has a fame of being a witch. From this moment on, an entity threatens John and her daughter Betsy Bell (Rachel Hurd-Wood), attacking the girl during the nights. With the support of Betsy's school teacher Richard Powell (James D'Arcy), who tries to find rational explanations for the manifestation; her brother John Bell Jr. (Thom Fell); and their friend James Johnston (Matthew Marsh), who unsuccessfully tries to exorcise the entity from the house, the family does their best to protect Betsy in the haunted house.

"An American Haunting" is a very tense story, with excellent cast and magnificent cinematography, environment and visual and sound effects. Unfortunately, the conclusion is weak and very disappointing, wasting a promising horror movie. The writers Brent Monahan and Courtney Solomon simply spoil a scary story of poltergeist, with a terrible twist to an incest situation. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Maldição" ("Curse")

The worst thing to happen to TRUE ghost stories since The Amityville Horror

[alrightguy1728 · 2/10 · 6 May 2006]

I went to the theater too excited to see another true ghost story come to life on the big screen. READ READ READ online and their is so much to offer on the Bell Witch Haunting. One of the most documented case's ever. The only documented case in the United States that a ghost killed a human being. So with all the information known on the case, Why would they slaughter a story so much? Amityville was another example of a story that if they stuck to the fact's it would be great. Hollywood can take their movies and shove them. The acting was good, but that is the only positive thing I can say about this movie. For God's sake the effect's were B movie like. Sorry guy's, maybe next time they tell a true life story they should stick to THE STORY!

The point of the movie

[veryblueapple · 8/10 · 26 May 2006]

This is a complete spoiler...Some people have complained that the movie is boring because they show the same scenes over and over of the young girl screaming, and having nightmares. How would you feel day after day if you were being repeatedly raped by your own father? That is the point they were trying to convey. I'll tell you what this movie was about, since some people seem confused. The girl that was being tormented by "spirits" was actually being raped by her father. He was sneaking into her room and molesting/raping her. In the scene where you hear moans and whimpers from a girl, the mother is searching for the noise-- well that's the father raping his own daughter. He then comes out of the room and bumps into the mother, where they both agree the sounds have mysteriously stopped (hmm, gee I wonder why). The girl is so victimized by her father that her spirit leaves her body. She was hurting herself because the abuse was so painful. Finally at the end she poisons her father with her mother standing watch. Her mom had finally realized what was happening (duh). Then at the VERY end of the movie with the modern day mother and daughter... the daughter was being sent to her dad's house (joint custody). The mother sees the spirit of the little girl, and instantly runs out after her daughter, because the spirit of the little girl only appears where there is a child being raped/molested. Therefore the daughter was being raped by her father also. That's why the girl was chewing her nails and so worried looking from inside the vehicle as her and her dad drove off together. The spirit of the girl will always stick around to protect kids who are being abused. The End. I have heard this wasn't the original fact based story that comes from Tennessee, but I am just telling you this is what happened in the movie. What actually happened is supposedly a whole other story. I hope you understand the movie better now. Most people just dismiss it and think its a lame horror flick, but in the mind of an abused little girl, this was her daily torment.

Decent, but questionable

[jwalls9051 · 6/10 · 1 November 2006]

This appears to be a fantastic movie until you reach a point where the movie begins to "explain" some things a little better. Once this happens, the confusion begins for me.

I finished the movie being confused about why the hauntings began. And, since we're shown, finally, the part the father plays in the attacks on the girl, then how do we make sense of the other events, like the scene where she's dragged up the steps while everyone, including her father, watches.

Maybe it's just me, but there's a great many movies out now that are really good except for their endings.

A complete and utter disappointment

[lutefisk_9 · 1/10 · 7 May 2006]

This should have been a Lifetime movie (or even an after-school special), since it felt exactly like that kind of overly sentimental dreck. Even the actress playing the mother in the present day looked like she stepped out of a beginning acting class for The Very Sad Divorced Wife (i.e., big bulky sweater, mussed hair, a bottle of vodka next to her on the desk).

How disheartening to see a film that could have been a great period piece end up as a big-screen version of every "victim of the week" TV movie, circa 1992. One point in its favor: excellent set design (it's nice to see a movie set in the South that doesn't automatically recall the plantations of _Gone with the Wind_). But overall, what a sad, stupid waste of Sissy Spacek and Donald Sutherland's talents.

A Muddled Mess with a Perplexing Twist

[blakkdog · 5/10 · 28 December 2014]

So just to be clear, there's no actual ghost or demonic presence in this movie at all. No curse and no real haunting technically. The movie is basically about a living disassociated haunting.

This movie reminds me of The Uninvited which also tries to pull a fast one by appearing to be a traditional ghost movie but breaks down to being only about hallucinations and lies and contains NO supernatural activity at all no matter how much its implied (or lied about in the trailers). Both movies left me feeling a bit empty because they try so hard to accomplish their respective twists of being a ghost film at the same time as NOT being a ghost film (and in fact being about psychological breakdown).

This movie in particular was a muddled mess of metaphors and reality and "hauntings" melding into dreams melding into more and more and MORE scenes of "haunting trauma", many without a climax or an explanation or any kind of bridge to allow the audience to exhale and nod and think they understand whats going on and to prepare themselves for the next scene or to allow us to feel we are making even the tiniest bit of headway in dealing with the situation.

Even without the molestation/disassociation twist being thrown in there, the movie got to be over the top with its continual haunting episodes without relief or the hint of a solution while this poor little girl is getting beat up and thrown around and raped and after a while seems almost catatonic with distress and no one seems able to handle the situation and the entity seems impervious to everything they try. I think it tries to be a little too much Exorcist without any of the depth of that movie. Just a lot of bed scenes of a young girl being tormented by something supernatural while her parents watch helplessly and a priest cant seem to help.

But then you have the twist... which was too much for me. A living poltergeistic projection? What?? And her actually appearing as a ghost of herself at the end was absurd. Im sorry. And not sure if we really needed the book end bits from the "modern" family going through the exact same thing.

Stupid possession flick with a lousy twist

[Leofwine_draca · 3/10 · 12 January 2011]

A historical spin on THE EXORCIST, based on the supposed true story of the Bell witch, one of America's most famous hauntings.

Unfortunately, this turns out to be a load of baloney, and it's totally blown out of the water by the far better EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE. Whether it's the hyperactive camera-work (director Courtney Solomon seems to be attempting to channel Sam Raimi but fails miserably, his camera tricks totally at odds with the story), the derivative visuals, the Disney-like music, the bland characters or the idiotic storyline, this film fails in every respect.

The biggest problem is that it never manages to be scary, not once, and indeed during some of the 'poltergeist' scenes – in which the innocent girl is slapped or levitated – my first reaction was to burst out laughing instead of feeling shocked or frightened. THE ENTITY this ain't.

The film gathers up some respected actors (Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek) and proceeds to waste their talents. In the end, I see this as nothing more than an attempt to make a few bucks – a soulless piece of filmmaking totally devoid of interest or merit.

An abomination of film

[charchuk · 2/10 · 30 August 2006]

Despite being based on one of the most famous ghost stories in American history and including a solid cast, this 'horror' film is anything but scary, dramatic, or even interesting. Instead, the flick is largely boring, confusing, and poorly executed. Even though it clocks in at a running time of just 90 minutes or so, the film drags throughout most of the non-horror scenes, and even through some of the so-called 'scary' moments. All of it leads up to a conclusion that is baffling, illogical, and very stupid. The twist is one of the least sensible of its kind in recent memory, as there is nothing in the film, up to that point, to warrant such a move. Pretty much a terrible film.

Though the cast looks solid on paper, the acting here is quite bad. Everyone looks like they're just picking up a paycheck, from Sutherland, who looks bored, to Spacek, who's never been more shrill, to Rachel Hurd-Word, who attempts to do her best Linda Blair impression but ends up just screaming and staring around wide-eyed most of the time. The direction is absolutely abysmal, as all scenes with the spirit look incredibly amateurish with the swooping camera, and, for some reason, are shot in black and white. Although it's clear this was done with some foolish artistic idea in mind, it ends up standing out terribly and erases any small amount of suspense or tension that might have been built up. Most of the suspense, though, is destroyed by the absolutely atrocious editing, which is, at once, frustrating, annoying, and pointless. It all adds up to a lame excuse for a horror film.

The only thing that saves this from being a complete waste is that there are some cool visuals, and occasionally some decent cinematography. Other than that, though, this is an abomination of film, with terrible acting, dreadful directing, and awful editing. A complete waste of time.

one of the scariest movies I have seen in years!

[tristen-4 · 7 November 2005]

Out of sheer curiosity I was offered to attend a screening of the world premier of 'American Haunting" -- so I went assuming it was going to be just another kind of scary -- kind of twisted -- kind of blasphemous -- kind of whatever -- kind of films -- WoW I was completely wrong in more ways than I can possible say! WOW! That is the best I can muster! This film kicked my butt up down and sideways. From the moment it starts up until the very last breath it toys with you, teases you, and never prepares you for something so intelligent at the climax that its hard to guess why someone hasn't done this kind of film before. My guess, is they don't have the talent or the guts that the filmmaker had -- not to mention the cast; or the composer for that matter. My god it rocked me and I'm betting it will definitely rock a hell of a lot of people who dare go see it. WoW! Count the days til this comes out -- you wont regret it -- seriously. Its one of a kind on all fronts. I decided to write this because I cant stop telling every single person I know how freaking scary the damn thing was. WOW!

Missed opportunity, becomes just decent

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 6/10 · 27 November 2016]

After finding a long-lost letter, a family finds that their ancestors living in the house where once the targets of a supposed haunting unleashed by a vengeful neighbor over land-rights issues and tried to find a way of stopping the haunting from continuing to strike the family.

There wasn't a whole lot here that works, but what does is of big importance. The main thing that this one does do well is force the viewer into accepting the distorted reality presented here, making it think that this is actually going on rather than being a simple curse. It starts as a series of inconsequential importance, from hallucinations written off as being tired or creaks and moans in the night before becoming full-blown supernatural plagues, all building up to the next encounter to make this more creepy and unexpected. This also makes the pacing seem incredibly quick and rapid, as this never once loses steam once the activity starts to affect them with the ghost visiting her in the bedroom or the school encounter on the swing, leaving it all the more enjoyable. That carries over into the later half where this is able to include some really spectacular set- pieces as the second bedroom encounter is a long, drawn-out and protracted torture sequence all done in a straightforward style that leaves all the dragging around and slapping thrown in. the vertical suspension gag works wonderfully and that it takes place in front of helpless witnesses makes this the greatest moment in the film. The later scenes are also quite fun, including a spectacular scene with all the characters in a central room as the presence circling about and a later scene where the various candles in the room immediately melt down to the wicks in an impressive visual, making this a quite impressive overall type of scene. The flash jumps with the little child are cliché but effective in the context of the film, and there's plenty to enjoy about it as well. This one isn't all that bad. This here doesn't have a whole lot of flaws, but they are pretty big ones. The most obvious one is the film's incredibly illogical and quite infuriating ending. This here was built up incredibly well as a supernatural entity being loosened upon the family, and instead of the majority of the time discovering who would be responsible for doing so the end thrusts this quite senseless storyline into view which is wrong on several levels. First, the nature of what the twist implies isn't even close to what happened historically, which is what the story concerns itself to be, and second is that the implication of this isn't handled all that well. There are several instances where what the twist shifts the story into contradicts what has happened to a degree that doesn't make sense since so many of those events feature the participant as a witness to the scene and couldn't have had it transpired through the motion the twist makes it out to be. The other big flaw is that this here tried to keep itself way too tame for no reason, alleviating the possibility of really tapping into the storyline because it's forced to keep it all vague and tame due to its rating despite the subject matter. These are the film's main drawbacks.

Rated PG-13: Mild Language, Mild Violence, Rape and strong themes of incest.

Question to the movie theater: Do you guys offer refunds?

[gethsemane_monroe_butler · 1/10 · 16 May 2006]

I've been born and raised in Tennessee, only 172 miles away from Adams. I've always been interested in the paranormal, and of course I'm a fan of the infamous Bell Witch.

When I was younger I did research on the topic, and was quite disappointed when I went to the movie. For one thing: Betsy Bell was never raped by her father, as the movie portrayed. If this was supposed to add drama, it didn't do a good job of it - it only added more confusion.

And even my husband was disappointed. We both were - we love horror movies, especially paranormal thrillers. This just didn't cut it.

I thought it looked great from the previews, but looks can be deceiving.

The only good thing about the movie was James D'Arcy (who plays the schoolteacher, Richard Powell). At least he was something to look at...and that's sad if the movie was supposed to be great.

In short: Save your money, or march your butt back to the theater and demand a refund.

Good points for the actors a few less for the story

[NadineRaeman · 6/10 · 15 March 2006]

Based upon true events this history of the Bell Family, adapted from the 1997 novel The Bell Witch: An American Haunting, this movie takes you back to Tennessee early 1800. Legendary actors Donald Shutterland & Sissy Spacek are taking away the better part of the movie, but it's up to newcomer Rachel Hurd-Wood, to star in this dark tale of mystery and haunting. After a dispute with his neighbor about some properties, father Bell (D. Shutherland ) is cursed by her. Since that moment on life isn't the same anymore. Betsy (Rachel Hurd-Wood), his daughter, frequently sees a little girl nearby the house and to top it a wolf is dwelling around. It becomes quickly obvious that only Betty is capable of seeing the girl and when dreadful nightmares starts to haunts Betsy we all know there is more going on.

Personally I think the acting is great, and especially the elegant and lovely Rachel Hurd-Wood is an actress we might hear more of soon. The story however is literally bleeding to the end and it soon becomes clear that the origins of her haunting and her nightmares are closer to home. Shame, because lot of the tension is gone once you know the story. On the other hand we can't forget that this is based on true events and that levels the film a lot.

Brent Monohan wrote the novel and Director Courtney Solomon wrote the screenplay to this movie. Best of all is of course the person who choose Rachel Hurd-Wood for casting Betty, who looks like a you Liv Tylor : Elegant, Elfish and above all breath taking.

Elenah Hold for RazorReel www.razorreel.be

I feel more violated than Betsy Bell is portrayed as being...

[alucard1-1 · 1/10 · 7 May 2006]

Okay...

I had such high hopes for this film. Up until a few months ago, I had never heard of the Bell Witch, but I love horror stories, and have always liked Sissy Spacek and Donald Sutherland.

After seeing the trailer, I was excited, and anxious to see the film.

In the time between seeing the trailer (about a month) and seeing the movie tonight, I did read up on some of the legend as accounted in websites etc.

Well, we just got home from the theater and I am getting the feeling that I wasted the time to watch it.

The movie was well shot, the acting was great... and the story, up until the last 5 minutes or so was quite intriguing. No, it didn't follow completely what I had read on the Bell Witch, but being Hollywood, I expected some 'dramatic license.'

*** Spoiler ALERT *** But to have the entire story pan out to be a sexual abuse of the daughter by the father was just too much.

I understand that *crap* like that does happen in real life... and it's a traumatic and shameful thing. But to conclude this story with this "theory" is just plain stupid.

As someone else has posted here... if you know ANYTHING about the Bell Witch legend... DO NOT SEE THIS.. as I would expect anyone to have the same reaction.

A Great and Haunitng Film That Will Leave You Scared For Days!

[madis2 · 10/10 · 12 November 2005]

I was at the Sunday afternoon screening of "An American Haunting" at the AFI Fest in Los Angeles. I was waiting to see this film as I love this genre and am a fan of Sissy Spacek (Carrie) and Donald Sutherland. I did some research on the legend of the Bell Witch before seeing the film, and more after, so I had an idea of what to expect. First, I have to say that Rachel Hurd Wood was fantastic as Betsy. I did not see Peter Pan, but for 14 years old, she put on a restrained and haunting performance which she should be commended for. Onto the film. This film was scary, scary, scary and creepy. I was thinking about it for three days after, and my friends and I even talked about it at lunch today a week later. It really stays with you, which I think is the sign of a good film. If you are looking for blood and guts, then it will not be for you. But, if you are looking for tension, suspense, and creepiness, then it's definitely for you. I saw it with three friends and we were all on the edge of our seats. I had nail marks from my friend Lisa who kept covering her eyes because she was so scared. I don't want to give anything away, but there is a surprise ending which I was happy to see they obviously built the film around, instead of just added it at the end like a lot of films do these days. It reminded me a lot of the "The Others" with Nicloe Kidman. Anyway, the film really delivers and it says something important at the same time. I think, having read some other comments that this film will appeal more to women. You will see why. I did think that the score was a little large at times, and that the sound was a little loud, but really good and effective, just loud. The cinematography was great, and the way the director moved the camera to create a spirit view, I thought was really good and fresh. There is a scene where the spirit tracks down one of the characters, and it was truly amazing! Having recently seen Emily Rose, I would have to say that this film was much better and would highly recommend it. I can't wait to have a chance to see it again. If I had to rate it, I would give it a 8.5 out of 10. Matilda.

An American Haunting (2005) *SPOILERS*

[mfnmbvp · 6/10 · 4 December 2011]

Like others on this site have been saying, it seems as though the entire cast and crew were in desperate need of a paycheck, and released 'An American Haunting' just in time to cash-in on the current witch revival that has been flooding through horror movies for the last ten years or so.

Donald Sutherland does an acceptable job, but he really does just seem bored to death the entire time. Sissy Spacek hardly speaks throughout the entire film, and it seems like she is just there to have in the background and to have her name on the poster. The imagery is nice, and the art direction is well-done, but the horror scenes are just dismally boring and over-played. I don't know how many times we see doors slam shut, blankets pulled to the floor, windows thrown open for no reason, seeing things that aren't there, it's like every abominable horror cliché is thrown at you five or more times before you notice that nothing has really happened. The ending of the movie is just absolutely ridiculous, and is really the worst thing about the entire film. I hope to god that someone does the story of the Bell Witch justice one day and gives us an actual horror movie, because 'An American Haunting' views like a cheap, quick way to make a couple dollars.

AN American HAUNTING ----6/10

(Why can't I capitalize the entire word American, hmmm IMDb???)

Very Forgettable "Haunting"

[view_and_review · 5/10 · 9 December 2016]

Where are my series of emojis? I need "eh", "sigh" and finally, snooze.

Look, poltergeist/haunting/possession movies are old hat in my opinion. You'd have to be extremely creative to make something from that genre be fresh, new and compelling. "An American Haunting" was not.

The setting is Tennessee year 1817 and a teenage girl is being harassed by an entity. The family cannot rid themselves of this specter no matter what measures they take. The movie plays out as you would expect with slow build up and a plethora of jump scares (that were anything but--jump annoyances is more accurate).

I patiently suffered through this movie to await the big reveal. Yes, the movie had something of a twist in store but not the least bit satisfying. I will be haunted by this movie and the decision I made to watch it.