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721 comments in total

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104 out of 121 people found the following comment useful :-
If you know the Bell Witch legend don't see this movie., 21 April 2006

Author: sluggo2112 from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

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.

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44 out of 48 people found the following comment useful :-
A Predictable Semi-fiction, 27 May 2006

Author: Thanigai Vaasan from Chennai, India

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.

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126 out of 221 people found the following comment useful :-
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., 6 May 2006

Author: Josh Collins from United States

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.

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102 out of 184 people found the following comment useful :-
Terrifying...., 27 November 2005

Author: Corey Night from England

I thoroughly enjoyed "An American Haunting". The story flowed nicely and the performances were fantastic! I was a little wary at first, though. I had seen Courtney Solomon's first film, "Dungeons & Dragons" and was extremely disappointed. Solomon more than makes up for his past failures with "An American Haunting"! The film keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek are joys to watch, as usual. But the real star is Rachel Hurd-Wood. She gives the best performance of her short career. She is wonderful as a young girl in the clutches of pure evil. While the film is not perfect, it is fun and chilling. I highly recommend it.

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23 out of 31 people found the following comment useful :-
A really dreadful movie., 11 December 2006

Author: BA_Harrison from Hampshire, England

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.

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24 out of 34 people found the following comment useful :-
'American' dud, 7 May 2006

Author: jellyneckr

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Arguably one of the most hated films of the 2000s so far was the adaptation of the cult board game and animated series DUNGEONS & DRAGONS. Upon its release in 2000, it was destroyed by critics and ignored by audiences. I was one of the few who enjoyed it, stating in my review that it was "destined to be a classic." In a way, I was right. It has become somewhat of a classic, but only in the way that SHOWGIRLS has become one. Disappointed by the failure of D&D, director Courtney Solomon took a long needed hiatus and had appeared to join the ranks of the several others who only direct one feature and disappear off the face of the earth forever. Six years later, Solomon has returned with AN American HAUNTING, which judging by its trailer, looked to be like it was was going to be horror fans dream. Based on a famous legend? Check. Groovy atmosphere? Check. Great lead? Double Check. 'HAUTNING' features two of the world's most fantastic actors, Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek. The fact these two were cast in a movie together seemed to warrant an automatic trip to the theater to me. Was it worth it? Hell no. Like most horror flicks, AN American HAUNTING starts off with a bang. The EVIL DEAD inspired opening scene grabbed me and I was expecting and hoping the rest of brief running time would do so as well. For a while, it seemed like 'HAUNTING' was on the right track. That is until the main event kicked in: the haunting of little Betsy Bell (Rachel Hurd-Wood). Combing elements of POLTERGEIST, AMITYVILLE HORROR (both old and remake), and THE EXORCIST the haunting scenes much like the rest of the picture, have a sense of been there, done that. There is nothing original to the proceedings. They are directed competently enough yet all they do is remind the audience of the better aforementioned horror movies. On the positive side, the acting from leads Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek, and Rachel Hurd-Wood are all much better than the material deserves. Unfortunately, their characters are one-dimensional and the script gives them little to do but act horrified and saddened by what is going on. A lot more depth would have made this one go down easier. 3/10

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42 out of 70 people found the following comment useful :-
An abomination of film, 30 August 2006

Author: trixster7 from Edmonton, Canada

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.

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78 out of 142 people found the following comment useful :-
A complete and utter disappointment, 7 May 2006

Author: lutefisk_9 from San Francisco, CA

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.

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25 out of 37 people found the following comment useful :-
The point of the movie, 26 May 2006

Author: veryblueapple from Minnesota, USA

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

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.

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107 out of 202 people found the following comment useful :-
A Great and Haunitng Film That Will Leave You Scared For Days!, 12 November 2005

Author: madis2 from United States

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.

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