An American Haunting (2005)

A big time disappointment, 14 May 2006

Growing up a couple hours away from Adams, TN, I've been aware of and fascinated by the Bell Witch as long as I can remember. I've heard all the stories and read all the books. So when I first heard about the movie An American Haunting, I knew I had to see it. To say I was disappointed would be a gross understatement.

I'll get the positives out of the way upfront. Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek are tremendously gifted actors. Their abilities shine regardless of the dreck they're given. Watching these two is about the only positive aspect of An American Haunting. It's a shame that these talented actors were presented with material that's so obviously beneath them.

On to the bad. I'll start with the cheap scare tactics employed by Director and Co- Screenwriter Courtney Solomon. If jump scare after jump scare makes for a good horror movie in your mind, An American Haunting is the movie for you. There's no attempt made to frighten the audience in any way other than with these cheap tactics. There's no atmosphere, there's no psychological horror, and there's nothing to get under your skin and disturb you after the movie ends. It's about as unsophisticated a brand of horror as you'll find.

Next, the movie begins by telling us that there is only one known case in history of a ghost killing a person. Unfortunately, however, the movie spends the next 91 minutes debunking this theory. I thought this was a movie about a haunting, not a dysfunctional family. The ending takes the whole legend of the Bell Witch and tosses it out the window. Why change the story? Have modern audiences become so jaded that they demand an explanation that fits their modern sensibilities? As I've already mentioned, the Bell Witch story is an interesting one and the mystery behind it seems to me to be far more entertaining than the explanation to Betsy's torment presented in An American Haunting. It's rubbish!

Finally, as far as creatively goes, An American Haunting is bland and pedestrian. The editing is sloppy, the direction is amateurish, and the cinematography is uninspired. I've seen made-for-television movies that were more exciting and better made from a creative standpoint. It's what I call "cut and paste" film-making.

3/10