MacBros' Place

Possession Knows No Bounds

 Oh, if you like spooky stuff, them 'An American Haunting' will spook the crap right out of you!

 This isn't a new movie, I believe it came out late 2005, but for some reason I've just put it off until today.

The fact that it's based on true events is actually the only thing spooky about it. Knowing that what you are watching, is something that really happened. It has you looking around the room a couple of times.

The story is kinda bland though. However Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek do their parts well in the movie. If it were directed a lot better and they trashed the cheap scare tactics, it could have been better.

Based on true events validated by the State of Tennessee of the only case in US History where a spirit or entity caused the death of a man. 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 a strange BLACK WOLF with piercing yellow eyes, the sounds escalated into full brutal contact with the 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. 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. The cause of its actions could always be felt, but no being could be seen, and no explanation found- only the promise that one day it would kill one of the family members. 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 to get rid of the woman's curse, yet the attacks and disturbances only escalated. It was not until a manuscript of the local schoolteacher -who lived on the property during the disturbance- was found in 1998 that the horrifying and shocking answer to what caused this haunting would finally be unveiled.

You'll get lost about half way through the movie, but then catch up when the story starts doing it's own monologuing. 

I never heard about the real story so the ending was unexpected. I kinda enjoyed the movie, but I did start to nod off a couple of times, so like I said, it could have been directed a lot better and it would have been a really good movie.

The scare tactics kinda reminded me of the old SCTV sketch with Count Floyd showing cheap 'B' movies.  He would rush up to the camera and go, "Wooooo!" as if trying to scare you, "Now wasn't that scary, huh?"

 Rent if it you want, I'm not saying it's a complete waste of time because you get told a story that actually happened and you start wondering about things, like life after death and all that other hoo-ha.

But this is just my opinion, and you're entitled to it.