An American Haunting Review
Posted by Chad Webb on 05.08.2006
People scream, run, and not much else.
Donald Sutherland: John Bell
Sissy Spacek: Lucy Bell
Rachel Hurd-Wood: Betsy Bell
James D'Arcy: Richard Powell
Matthew Marsh: James Johnston
Thom Fell: John Jr.
Sam Alexander: Joshua Gardner
Gaye Brown: Kate Batts
Zoe Thorn: Theny Thorne
Miquel Brown: Chloe
Shauna Shim: Anky
Directed By: Courtney Solomon
Release Date: May 5, 2006
Running Time: 91 minutes
Rated PG-13 for intense terror sequences and thematic material.
An American Haunting is an old fashioned horror film with old fashioned scares, for an old fashioned type audience. This historic tale teases and taunts you in one direction, when in reality you should be looking the other way. When one finally figures out that the path they have been following leads to a dead end, you have either grown tired of the trip, or are excited about the destination. It becomes a moment where the viewer says "Oh wow!" or "Is that all?" Despite some unanswered questions and the traditional jolts of fright, this enigmatic ghost story delivers a hearty punch to the gut that does knock some of the wind out of you. It is literally like an episode of Unsolved Mysteries adapted to the big screen. Sadly, Robert Stack is not narrating.
The Bell Witch Haunting is the most documented haunting ever, of the only case in which a death resulted from a ghost. It starts off in present day Red River, Tennessee where a young girl is being tormented by a mysterious phantom after unearthing an old journal in the attic. Flashback to 1817 Red River, Tennessee, and John Bell (Donald Sutherland) has broken church law by taking advantage of a neighbor named Kate Batts (Gaye Brown). Kate believes that John Bell should be further punished, so she curses him and his daughter Betsy (Rachel Hurd-Wood). In no time at all, a malicious spirit begins terrorizing Betsy and her father, as the rest of the family can only watch in horror. It begins gently by pulling the sheets off of Betsy's bed, but it grows into a violent outbreak of unexplained events when Betsy is dragged around the house, and slapped countless times across the face by the invisible specter. John Bell is convinced that Kate Batts is behind everything. An exorcism has no effect, and the Bells are left with a plague in their household that grows more deadly by the day.
The patriarch of the Bell family is John Bell, who was once a respected member of the Red River community until the events with Kate Batts unfolded. Donald Sutherland has the appearance and physique that fits smoothly into a role for this time period. He is a tranquil, composed, and seemingly hardworking man, who smokes a pipe with an expression that bares a hint of creepiness. Sutherland's subtle and commendably unadulterated depiction of a distressed father is refined during its peaks, but he is stopped dead in his tracks from opening up and impressing.
As Lucy Bell, Sissy Spacek will do anything to protect her children. She is a good mother, who seems as frightened as her kids from this situation, but she does not hesitate to have them sleep in the parents' bedroom for an added feeling of safety. It is uncertain to me why Spacek agreed to do this picture because her talent is incredibly wasted and her lines are scarce. However, the sequence of her taking a candle upstairs before the ghost has made its presence felt was eye opening excitement. The primary victim during all of these horrible nights is Betsy Bell played by Rachel Hurd-Wood. I would love to tell the readers whether or not she is a good actress, but her dialogue is quite minimal. She screams a great deal, and that's about it. The investigative and skeptical school teacher is wonderfully portrayed by James D' Arcy. He delivers the best performance of any member of the cast.
An American Haunting is a film that one will either hate or love, with absolutely no middle reactions. Writer and director Courtney Solomon must have known that when searching the internet for a spooky ghost story. In my opinion, the ending result of this film was exactly what I expected. It is a giant leap forward for his filmmaking career after the enormous flop in his debut Dungeons and Dragons. This is based on the book by Brent Monohan entitled The Bell Witch: An American Haunting, and after reading the book from cover to cover, Solomon visited the town, and asked the locals all sorts of questions. This trip caused an obsession, and his need to create a horror film was subsequently fulfilled. On the surface, this PG-13 horror offering might seem poor due to the clichéd sounds of rustling in the attic, doors creaking and slamming, beds shaking, and a clock spinning out of control, but Solomon has presented some nice effects. Caine Davidson providing the score, and V for Vendetta cinematographer Adrian Biddle deserve some credit for contributing to the thrills. The suspense is overwhelming as moviegoers take the point of view of the poltergeist as it circles the room. The screen changes from color to black and white for some spice. What it lacks in drama, it makes up for in shouts and chaos.
At times the film is as stiff as the wood that holds the set houses up, and admittedly the horrifying disturbances become repetitive, but this An American Haunting is not a total loss at all. I appreciated Solomon sticking to his guns by eliminating buckets of blood and gore. When blood is seen, it makes a difference, and it means something. In a horror film, blood is supposed to be significant. What kills this stable release is the ending. Unfortunately the attractive historical aspects are not strong enough to support the weight of the flaws. While viewers will leave the theater having a good idea of what happened, one will also have oodles of questions that were not answered. Those who are die-hard fans of this genre will most likely leave satisfied because you jumped in you seat a couple times, but for the folks that have grown tired of the recent scream fests, this film will leave you with a lurking feeling like you are missing something.
The 411: I really wanted this film to be great, but instead it was just mediocre and mild. The actors are not used to their full potential, but filmmaker Courtney Solomon definitely exposed his love for the project through his direction. This is a traditional piece of horror that covers a period in history, and that alone will probably tell you whether or not this is worth seeing. I would wait for DVD, and rent this if anything.
