#an american haunting

[fanofspooky]

Scream King - Donald Sutherland

[kennethbrangh]

DONALD SUTHERLAND in An American Haunting (2006)

[riinestars2017]

[mostremote]

if I had a nickel for every time Donald Sutherland played a tormented evil paternal figure who preys on a teenage girl who wants to kill him, and who coughs up blood from the poison he symbolically ingests, well, I would have two nickels

[mxmoth]

FAVORITE HORROR FILMS | AN AMERICAN HAUNTING (2005) After Dark Films, Dir. Courtney Solomon Rachel Hurd-Wood, James D'Arcy, Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek

[therosegoldbourdoir]

"In the realm of spooky legends and eerie tales, the Bell Witch stands tall as one of America’s most chilling specters. With its roots entangled in history, this paranormal entity has captured the imaginations of countless individuals over the years. As we venture into the twentieth entry of our top 31 series, let’s unravel the enigmatic lore behind The Bell Witch and explore its portrayal in the 2005 film, “An American Haunting.” Grab your flashlight; we’re in for a spine-tingling journey."

[horrororman]

Released May 5, 2006(US).

#AnAmericanHaunting

#horror #thriller #mystery

[theflixdiary]

watched on May 21, 2020 on Google Play Movies

An American Haunting (2005) directed by Courtney Solomon

genre: drama, horror, mystery, thriller age rating: 13+ duration: 1h 23m country: United States language : English screenplay : Courtney Solomon, Brenth Monahan

major stars: Rachel Hurd-Wood, Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek, James D'Arcy

plot summary: based on the infamous Bell Witch legend, An American Haunting tells the story of the Bell family, wealthy farmers in a small Tennessee town. after a dispute over land with a woman suspected of witchcraft, the family begins to experience strange supernatural events that seem to focus particularly on their young daughter, Betsy (Rachel Hurd-Wood). as the hauntings escalate, they are forced to confront dark secrets from the past in a desperate attempt to end the torment.

An American Haunting kicks off with some seriously good vibes for a ghost story. there’s this moody, eerie 19th-century setting that practically screams “creepy.” the first act pulls me right in with unsettling atmosphere and mysterious whispers—just what the doctor ordered for a haunting movie night. and I’ll admit, seeing a cast list with Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek had me all excited; I thought I was in for something intense. but oh, how quickly that ghostly excitement faded! to be honest, it all starts to unravel when the movie tries to crank up the fear factor with a relentless parade of jump scares. at first, those sudden loud noises and flickers in the dark had me on edge, but by the tenth time, I was more likely to roll my eyes than grip my seat. it feels like the scares are set to auto-pilot. there’s a fine line between suspenseful and just plain repetitive, and An American Haunting skates way over it. by the middle of the movie, the jump scares were so predictable, I was practically guessing the seconds until the next one. now, let’s talk about the acting, because there’s some talent here.

Rachel Hurd-Wood, who’s famous as Wendy Darling from Peter Pan movie, stands out as Betsy, the tormented daughter. she really makes me believe her fear, and her American accent? perfect! she’s putting in all the effort here, really carrying the terror that the story is supposed to build on. but then we’ve got Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek. don’t get me wrong, they’re legends, but they’re almost treated as side characters! it’s baffling because I was expecting them to electrify the screen, yet their roles feel kind of underwhelming. and the story? well, it's like it’s haunted by the ghost of missed potential. the plot is a mix of slow pacing and overly dramatic moments, making it hard to get properly invested in the haunting itself. it drags in some spots and speeds through others, like it can’t decide if it wants to tell a chilling tale or just spook me with noises. but, credit where it’s due: the plot twist does throw a bit of a curveball! it’s unexpected and adds a little jolt right when I was ready to check out. plus, the visual style is surprisingly lovely—it has this rustic, old-world charm, a bit of a Jane Austen vibe, even. but fancy aesthetics can’t save the fact that the haunting here feels a bit… hollow. director Courtney Solomon took some creative liberties with the Bell Witch story, which was brave, but I think it missed more than it hit.

poster & stills credit: IMDb edited with canva

[theknightlywolfe]

Okay, that was pretty obvious and, while well acted enough, not really worth the watch.

Now onto Rise with Lucy Liu.

[knowyourbmovieactors]

OCTOBER HORROR MOVIES (DVD EDITION) #5 AN AMERICAN HAUNTING

Last time I watched a Japanese ghost story, so let's strap in for a good ol', red-blooded AMERICAN ghost story! It's my patriotic duty. I mean, "American" is right in the title!

Where that Japanese story was understated and moody, this AMERICAN story leaps right into ACTION! A girl screams and runs through the woods. The thumping, staccato music immediately overwhelms your senses. The girl grabs a knife to defend herself against an invisible ghost (presumably because those commie lib socialist DEMONCRATS took her guns away!) After that we reveal a character with a drinking problem, a creepy porcelain doll, and a couple of cheap jump scares for no reason. Seems like this AMERICAN movie is off to a solid, rip-roaring AMERICAN start!

Then someone pulls out an old parchment letter and we hear a voiceover that sounds straight out of a Civil War documentary, and, OH NO, this is actually a goddamn period piece! Well, I guess there's nothing more AMERICAN than an old-fashioned bait-and-switch.

So, here we are in early 19th century Tennessee, and it turns out this is another tired retelling of the old Bell Witch story (which is why the producers claim it's "based on true events"). The problem with trying to pass the Bell Witch off as fact is that the first book that purported to document it stands a pretty good chance of being a hoax (considering that absolutely every piece of first-hand evidence it cites has conveniently been lost to time). So, what are we left with? Basically, it's "The Exorcist" as a ponderous period drama with Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek, regularly interrupted with screeching jump scares.

I can't get over how extra the music is trying to be in this film. The score mostly feels like a taped-together string of 30 second orchestral bits, separated from each other by clanking, metallic stingers. This is draped liberally over every damn second of the film, and our only relief from it is the moments where the composer and the cinematographer conspire together to rip off the style of "Sleepy Hollow" (which came out only about five years before this was made). And if you thought the trend of movie dialogue being difficult to understand was a new development, I introduce this 19-year-old film to you as proof that the conspiracy goes back much further. When the dialogue is not incoherent screams, it's actors speaking in hushed tones in overblown Tennessee dialects, all while the musical score is sitting on your head and pummeling you about the ears. If ever there was a movie in need of silence, it's this one. But, I guess the score could be useful to the neurotypical as way to simulate ADHD.

"An American Haunting" is stately and dull in spite of its screaming protestations. And during that time it also manages to gloss over both the institution of slavery and the relationship between a teenage girl and man two decades older than her. This movie won't scare you to death, but it just may bore you there.

THINGS I LEARNED FROM THE DVD EXTRAS -There are five "alternate endings" included on this disc, none of which actually change the ending. They're all just more confusingly edited versions of the official ending. -In a conversation between director Courtney Solomon and Sissy Spacek, Solomon recounts how he did "internet research" to learn about the Bell Witch. He and Spacek then recount a bunch of purported facts about the story that were debunked years before this film was even made, proving that the internet was already rotting our collective brains way back in 2005. -There is a very scary wolf in the film. In behind-the-scenes footage, he looks more like a VERY GOOD BOY who is having THE BEST DAY EVER playing his favorite game, CHASE THE HORSE!

[halloweenhundreds]

An American Haunting has a great game cast to tell the story of the Bell Witch haunting in a way too 2000s manner that really works against its strengths. At least one really great sequence and flashes of excellence. Framing device was wild.

[fanofspooky]

Rest In Peace Donald Sutherland

Thank you for your phenomenal movies

[ghostember]

take the bait

[riinestars2017]

[my-midlife-crisis]

[heartbreakfeelsgoodinablog]

Possession knows no bounds