I like horror movies, which is odd considering I hated them growing up. That had much to do with my coming of age in the Golden Age of Slasher films. Along with the new 'torture porn' phenomenom, slasher films remain on the bottom of my things to watch list.
But I'm all for genuinely scary films, and I'll take a cheesy mid-budget '70's horror flick anyday (think Amityville/Omen/Black Christmas).
I had high hopes An American Haunting would fit one of the bills, despite the boring title.
Yeah, no.
Not a bad movie, don't get me wrong. The acting was good - Sissie Spacek, Donald Sutherland - and there was a wicked crash scene a good way into the film.
It's based on the 'real life' case of the Bell Witch, but much of this film is pure fiction.
The movie dilly-dallies quite a bit, showing us the day to day afflictions without ramping up the fear or our sympathies. The modern day story bookending the tale is superfluous, and, frankly, a lot of folks do a lot of things the exact opposite of how it would go in real life.
Evil creature knocking at your door, then suddenly stopping? Why by all means, take that as a cue to head for the doorknob. Go on, open the door - I'm sure the evil spirit is gone!
Devil child appearing then dissapearing in front of you? Gosh golly, follow that child through the woods alone, and yeaaaah, of course you should enter that dark cave after her! What's the worst that could happen?
All kidding aside, without giving away the ending (one Lisa guessed five minutes in) let me just say the filmakers looked at the situation, thought of it soley in 21st century terms, conjured up a vile, appalling rationale, and used it awkwardly explain away a 19th century ghost.
If they're right, then pi** on the dead. If they're wrong, I'd hate to have to be the screenwriter when he gets to the hereafter and meets the person he slandered from 200 years distance.
Not a bad way to waste an evening, but I wouldn't jump through hoops to get my hands on a copy.
2.5 stars out of 5.
Don't like horror flicks of any kind.... nightmares.... I'll pass!!
ReplyDeleteJoann
I actually went to the theater for this movie.... I didn't care much for the ending though....
ReplyDelete~Amy
Not enough stars to stir my interest. I'm just the opposite of you...when I was young I love horror flicks and I now I wouldn't go across the street to see one.
ReplyDeleteJoyce
I'm with you on this review, although I'd probably rate it lower. A waste of Spacek and Sutherland, who deserve much better.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a child my mother wouldn't let me watch horror movies--not that we got to see that many movies--from the time we went to a screening of Disney's *Alice in Wonderland* shown with a trailer for the original *House of Wax.* (I still can't watch films with fire in them like *Backdraft*, *Towering Inferno*). The first horror film I went to on my own was *Whatever Happened to Baby Jane*. Since then, I prefer more intellectual horror than "cat in the face" and slasher films.
My all-time favorite of horror flicks is the original B&W *The Haunting* with all the wierd camera angles, a paucity of special effects, and the relentless voice-over by Julie Harris. I've seen it several times and it still give me the willies.
;^) Jan the Gryphon