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Release Date: May 5, 2006 Studio: Freestyle Releasing Director: Courtney Solomon
Screenwriter: Courtney Solomon Starring: Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek, Rachel Hurd-Wood, James D'Arcy, Thom Fell Genre: Thriller Official Website: AnAmericanHauntingonline.com
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense terror sequences and thematic material. Runtime: USA:91 min. For rating reasons, go to FILMRATINGS.COM, and MPAA.ORG. Parents, please refer to PARENTALGUIDE.ORG
SYNOPSIS
Starring Academy Award® winner Sissy Spacek (“Carrie”), Golden Globe winner Donald Sutherland (“Don’t Look Now”), Rachel Hurd-Wood (Wendy Darling in P.J. Hogan’s “Peter Pan” and the upcoming “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer”), and James D’Arcy (“Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World”), this story is based on true events validated by the State of Tennessee as the only case in U.S. history where a spirit or entity caused the death of a human being. With over 20 books written on the subject, and a town that still lives in fear of the return of the unseen spirit, the story of AN AMERICAN HAUNTING is terrifying.
Between the years 1818-1820, the Bell Family of Red River, Tennessee was visited by an unknown presence that haunted the family and eventually ended up causing the death of one its members. Starting with small sounds around the farm, and the sighting of a strange creature with piercing yellow eyes, the sounds escalated into full brutal contact with certain family members, causing psychological and physical torment. The attacks grew in strength, with the spirit slapping, pulling, dragging, and beating the Bell’s youngest daughter, Betsy. The Bells searched for rational explanations and ways to rid their house of this entity, but to no avail as the spirit began to communicate with them through sounds, and eventually multiple voices that sounded like the wind.
Fearing that the haunting was caused by a local woman -- branded a witch -- who had put a curse upon the family as a result of a land dispute, the Bells tried desperately to find ways of getting rid of the woman’s curse, yet the attacks and disturbances only escalated.
It was not until a personal journal of the matriarch of the Bell family, Lucy, was inadvertently discovered -- along with Betsy’s doll -- generations later in the attic of one of their descendants that the horrifying and shocking answer to what caused the haunting would finally be unveiled ... along with the realization that the horror was still being visited on the family heirs.
As
bad as the movie is, there are ample questions about evil
and good to make discussing it worthwhile.
Growing
up in Johnson City, Tennessee, I was rooted in the Americana
storytelling tradition: Jonesboro, Tennessee’s oldest town
and neighbor to Johnson City, is the home of the International
Storytelling Festival. So I had heard the stories
of the Bell Witch for years and was excited to hear about An
American Haunting and its excellent cast. — Continued
Perhaps
most movies that deal with demon possession or ghosts cannot
escape the fact that they are going to have a religious aspect
to them, and An American Haunting is no different. In an initial
attempt to rid their home of this spirit, the Bells invite their
friend, Rev. James Johnston (Matthew Marsh), to try and help
cast away this un-holy presence. First, he leads a séance
and orders the spirit to leave “in the name of Jesus Christ.” At
first, it seems to have worked until... — Continued
I
will not post these comments. I
welcome your spiritual concerns and prayer needs. I will correspond
with you, usually within two weeks.
Email David Bruce
This
film was amazing.