An
American Haunting is a lame exercise in horror. It uses a supposed “Based
on actual events” heading to rope in the audience, but a certain kind of
silliness ensues that renders what might have been scary, pretty much ridiculous..
The
bulk of An American Haunting takes place in the early 1800's and features Donald
Sutherland as John Bell, a man whose family becomes the victim of a curse - ostensibly
at the hands of a witch who feels she’s been wronged in a dispute over land
ownership. Shortly thereafter, John’s young daughter Betsy, is repeatedly
abused by what appears to be an angry poltergeist. The House of Sand and Fog meets
Captain Howdy.
An
American Haunting offers up a few creepy moments, but for most part, the scares
are comprised of quick cuts and obnoxiously loud musical cues. Usually, quick
cuts and obnoxiously loud musical cues are a sign of unskilled film making. Director
Courtney Solomon appears to have had such a tough time affecting the audience
through tone and dialogue that he’s resorted to the weakest tricks in the
book to get a rise out of the audience. All I got out of the deal was a big headache.
Adding
insult to injury, An American Haunting features a couple of veterans in lead roles.
Donald Sutherland is so good, but his greatness is completely overshadowed by
weak material. Likewise, Sissy Spacek (no stranger to the supernatural –
she did play “Carrie” after all) tries her hardest to breathe life into
this sham of a horror film. Young Rachel Hurd-Wood (not to be confused with the
amazing Evan Rachel Wood) does an admirable job, but even she can’t overcome
the meandering screenplay.
Courtney
Solomon is clearly a fan of the genre as he heavily borrows from The Exorcist,
The Omen, Poltergeist, and Evil Dead 2 (the evil spirit P.O.V. shots early on
in the film, are a weak ass homage to Sam Raimi’s cult classic). He even
borrows from the little seen Barbara Hershey thriller The Entity. Sadly, he can’t
muster up an iota of those pictures’ style. I don’t know what I was
expecting. This is, after all, the man who directed “Dungeons and Dragons”.
An
American Haunting isn’t a total waste. There are a few effective moments.
When the entity first makes contact with young Betsy (by way of slowly pulling
the blanket from her bed), I was momentarily creeped out. Unfortunately, the effect
is all but ruined when the maniacal vapor bitchslaps the helpless victim –
evoking full blown belly laughter at the screening I attended. This was made all
the more amusing, considering that there were only around eight people in the
theater. Getting back to what faint praise I have to offer this movie, I also
really dug the costume design and art direction, both of which appear to be authentic
to the time period. Finally, the film’s best moment comes during a sequence
in which the terrorized girl tries to make a getaway via a horse and carriage.
The fate that awaits the carriage is an awesome cinematic moment to behold, but
the sequences that precede and follow it, are irrelevant.
In
fact, the film as a whole is incredibly disjointed. What’s more, the screenplay
is a train wreck. The set-up is silly beyond belief. The scene in which the supposed
witch puts the curse on the Bell family, is downright laughable. It makes it incredibly
difficult to buy into any of what follows. But then, the film makers pull an even
sillier fast one. An American Haunting offers up an inevitable twist. An obvious,
all too unnecessary twist that renders the film even more absurd. What’s
more, An American Haunting dares to offer up so-called smarts as a teacher debates
with a man of faith over the happenings that befall the Bell family. Last year
saw the release of the vastly superior Exorcism Emily Rose. While that picture
wasn’t perfect, it was far more subtle in it’s approach. It was also
more believable adding a palpable sense of dread to the proceedings. An American
Haunting by comparison is so bogged down with unbelievably ridiculous moments,
that it never really terrifies. And don’t get me started on the lame, pointless
present day scenes that bookend the entire picture. It’s enough to insult
any movie-goer’s intelligence.
In
all fairness, An American Haunting is a far cry from the worst the genre has had
to offer. As a horror picture, I’d still give it the edge over that awful
When a Stranger Calls remake, but Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek certainly
deserved better.
