Haggisboy
12-05-2006, 10:37 AM
Many years ago, when I was a youngun, I stumbled across a book of alleged real life ghost stories. Like any boy of that age, I couldn't put it down. One story in particular remained seared in my memory to this day. It was so bizarre, and so horrific, that just recalling details from memory was enough to ruin a night's sleep. An American Haunting (http://www.anamericanhauntingonline.com/) represents the first film with a budget to actually bring that story to the big screen, with mixed results.
In 1867, John Bell, a transplanted farmer from North Carolina, was in the midst of putting down roots on his new homestead in Tennessee, when he crossed paths with Kate Batts, a large, barrel-chested woman reputed by the locals to be a witch. According to the story, Batts placed a curse on Bell and his family over a land dispute. Shortly thereafter one of the most violent manifestations of poltergeist activity began to plague Bell Sr. and his eldest daughter, Betsy. These outbreaks included scratching, slapping and punching by unseen hands, items and individuals being thrown about, vocal manifestations of the "spirit" and a myriad of other bizarre happenings, culminating in the death of John Bell and ensconsing his place in history as the only human to have ever been killed by a ghost.
To give credit where it's due, An American Haunting stays remarkably close to the story, inasmuch as it's been recorded in American literature. The poltergeist outbreaks in the film are truly chilling. Director Courtney Solomon (Dungeons and Dragons) displays a keen mastery of imagery guaranteed to send chills up the spine. Kudos must also go to actress Rachel Hurd-Wood as Betsy, who spends a good deal of the film being punched, slapped, dragged and tossed about like a rag doll, all the while screaming at the top of her lungs.
On the other hand, veteran actors Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek are neither good, nor bad in their roles as Betsy's parents, and were clearly cast more for their marquee value than what they actually bring to the film.
Although the tale of the Bell Witch (as the ghost became known) has firmly carved out a niche in American folklore, it has also caught the eye of revisionist historians, some of whom feel the tale to be little more than an elaborate coverup for a case of family incest and murder, allusions to which Director Solomon inserts in the film, as if to give the story a more corporeal (and dangerous) real-life edge.
Far from a perfect film, An American Haunting falls short of the horror benchmark established by The Exorcist, but fares far better than recent, more tepid offerings such as The Exorcism of Emily Rose.
Then again, I was clearly predisposed to this movie, having been scarred by the story of the Bell Witch all those years ago.
Background on The Bell Witch (http://www.bellwitch.org/)
Trailer (Apple) (http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/anamericanhaunting/)
In 1867, John Bell, a transplanted farmer from North Carolina, was in the midst of putting down roots on his new homestead in Tennessee, when he crossed paths with Kate Batts, a large, barrel-chested woman reputed by the locals to be a witch. According to the story, Batts placed a curse on Bell and his family over a land dispute. Shortly thereafter one of the most violent manifestations of poltergeist activity began to plague Bell Sr. and his eldest daughter, Betsy. These outbreaks included scratching, slapping and punching by unseen hands, items and individuals being thrown about, vocal manifestations of the "spirit" and a myriad of other bizarre happenings, culminating in the death of John Bell and ensconsing his place in history as the only human to have ever been killed by a ghost.
To give credit where it's due, An American Haunting stays remarkably close to the story, inasmuch as it's been recorded in American literature. The poltergeist outbreaks in the film are truly chilling. Director Courtney Solomon (Dungeons and Dragons) displays a keen mastery of imagery guaranteed to send chills up the spine. Kudos must also go to actress Rachel Hurd-Wood as Betsy, who spends a good deal of the film being punched, slapped, dragged and tossed about like a rag doll, all the while screaming at the top of her lungs.
On the other hand, veteran actors Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek are neither good, nor bad in their roles as Betsy's parents, and were clearly cast more for their marquee value than what they actually bring to the film.
Although the tale of the Bell Witch (as the ghost became known) has firmly carved out a niche in American folklore, it has also caught the eye of revisionist historians, some of whom feel the tale to be little more than an elaborate coverup for a case of family incest and murder, allusions to which Director Solomon inserts in the film, as if to give the story a more corporeal (and dangerous) real-life edge.
Far from a perfect film, An American Haunting falls short of the horror benchmark established by The Exorcist, but fares far better than recent, more tepid offerings such as The Exorcism of Emily Rose.
Then again, I was clearly predisposed to this movie, having been scarred by the story of the Bell Witch all those years ago.
Background on The Bell Witch (http://www.bellwitch.org/)
Trailer (Apple) (http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/anamericanhaunting/)