An American Haunting

[Damini]

A film so bad it made me sterile.

Really. Just thoroughly appalling. Heaven knows what incriminating photos they had of Sissy and Mr Elder Sutherland to persuade them to get caught up in this, but I can only assume it involved the basest of beasts and the most unflattering of lighting angles.

If you want to know why to avoid this film, the general cliches are: thunderstorms and lightning, scary voices with some played backwards style echoing, the fact that some haunting scenes look like an A-Level modern dance piece entitled "Fear and Angst in a Darkened Room of My Own Torment", the way that they change to black and white film and spinning camera to depict swirling spirits, the just complete inability of any character to react in a normal fashion to events, the odd way that the brother looks like the bloke from Journey South, and the end, which is meant to be morally hard hitting, made me laugh at something I think I might go to hell for laughing at.

It's not all bad. Some of the jumps are very well done. But the rest of the film is so maddeningly bad, laughably wretched, that they're squandered.

 

[Whipped]

So it was good?

 

[FuzzyLogic]

I remember reading the story of the Bell Witch years ago, gave me chills then, from how it sounds the film hinges on the quick jumps rather than suspense, shame.

Why does American horror rely on it so much, suspense can be so much scarier than the wtfjump! Heh, can't recall the critics name who said you can have one really good jump moment in a film, after that it's just silly (or something to that effect).

 

[Damini]

It's much worse than you think. I'd give away the whole plot if I told you exactly how bad it is though, so I'll show restraint, but trust me, it's BAD.

 

[Aada]

A film so bad it made me sterile.

Really. Just thoroughly appalling. Heaven knows what incriminating photos they had of Sissy and Mr Elder Sutherland to persuade them to get caught up in this, but I can only assume it involved the basest of beasts and the most unflattering of lighting angles.

If you want to know why to avoid this film, the general cliches are: thunderstorms and lightning, scary voices with some played backwards style echoing, the fact that some haunting scenes look like an A-Level modern dance piece entitled "Fear and Angst in a Darkened Room of My Own Torment", the way that they change to black and white film and spinning camera to depict swirling spirits, the just complete inability of any character to react in a normal fashion to events, the odd way that the brother looks like the bloke from Journey South, and the end, which is meant to be morally hard hitting, made me laugh at something I think I might go to hell for laughing at.

It's not all bad. Some of the jumps are very well done. But the rest of the film is so maddeningly bad, laughably wretched, that they're squandered.

I think your being to picky and pretty critical sure it wasn't a oscar winner but it was still a decent film to go and watch on a friday night.

I wish people would stop going to horror movies with the notion the film is going to be amazing worthy of a an oscar.

FORGET IT its a popcorn film and thats that.. how old are you? surely you have seen enough of these films to know how it all pans out? i have.

Was not as bad as you say but it wasn't an oscar winner either.. i went into the film with an open mind which is what i always do and it turned out to be a film worth going to see if you don't want to be stuck in on a friday/saturday night.

The plot wasn't bad it was just predictable but what horror movie isn't?

 

[Whipped]

That's what spoiler tags are for Go on, dish the dirt. I doubt I'll ever see it anyhow.

 

[Damini]

I think your being to picky and pretty critical sure it wasn't a oscar winner but it was still a decent film to go and watch on a friday night.

I wish people would stop going to horror movies with the notion the film is going to be amazing worthy of a an oscar.

FORGET IT its a popcorn film and thats that.. how old are you? surely you have seen enough of these films to know how it all pans out? i have.

Was not as bad as you say but it wasn't an oscar winner either.. i went into the film with an open mind which is what i always do and it turned out to be a film worth going to see if you don't want to be stuck in on a friday/saturday night.

The plot wasn't bad it was just predictable but what horror movie isn't?

Erm, I'm 27, and I see a lot of horror movies. I love bad horror movies, and I love good horror movies. This was neither. I went with an open mind too, and it was a stinker. Tired horror cliches with not a note of irony, lazy horror direction with not a smudge of pastiche, and really odd scare sequences where terrified girls spin round and round, clinging on to each other, like a herd of bemused cows trapped on a roundabout...

The twist?

Spoiler

That the girl had been sexually abused by her Dad, and was therefore haunting herself and her Dad whilst still alive. And yes, they did actually say, in a repeated, spooky, reversed voice way "PART OF HER DIED THAT DAY... THAT DAY... THAT DAY...." because that's how ghosts are made... get it? So, the film opens and ends with this found letter warning some woman of the eerie events of the past, and it turns out that the mystery writer of the past misled her by starting the letter as a horror story, because it was really a Show Me On The Doll Where The Bad Man Touched You letter, and then this modern mother sees the ghost of this girl (complete with a splotch of blood on her white night dress to show... well, to show) and she goes "NOES! NOES! MY BABY!" as her husband drives off with the daughter.

Sorry Aada, bit it was every bit as bad as I said.

 

[Aada]

Erm, I'm 27, and I see a lot of horror movies. I love bad horror movies, and I love good horror movies. This was neither. I went with an open mind too, and it was a stinker. Tired horror cliches with not a note of irony, lazy horror direction with not a smudge of pastiche, and really odd scare sequences where terrified girls spin round and round, clinging on to each other, like a herd of bemused cows trapped on a roundabout...

The twist?

Spoiler

That the girl had been sexually abused by her Dad, and was therefore haunting herself and her Dad whilst still alive. And yes, they did actually say, in a repeated, spooky, reversed voice way "PART OF HER DIED THAT DAY... THAT DAY... THAT DAY...." because that's how ghosts are made... get it? So, the film opens and ends with this found letter warning some woman of the eerie events of the past, and it turns out that the mystery writer of the past misled her by starting the letter as a horror story, because it was really a Show Me On The Doll Where The Bad Man Touched You letter, and then this modern mother sees the ghost of this girl (complete with a splotch of blood on her white night dress to show... well, to show) and she goes "NOES! NOES! MY BABY!" as her husband drives off with the daughter.

Sorry Aada, bit it was every bit as bad as I said.

Each to their own my gf didn't like it much either.

 

[grimlin]

english hauntings are much better as they have english accents :england:

 

[leggy]

Each to their own my gf didn't like it much either.

Your girlfriend obviously has taste. I could write a massive critique on this film but I'll simply say "it is shit". I have said it countless times on this forum and I have just said it again. I was nearly angry when leaving the cinema. Why oh why does this nonsense get a cinema release? I am now boycotting all horror movies (until someone makes a good one that doesn't originate in Japan).

 

[WPKenny]

LOL! I have to agree with Leggy and my missus. This film was dire. Aside from the occasionally good jumps at the start, they came far to often to build up any real tension and just became silly as the film went on. Damini's summed up WHY it's so bad and Leggy's mentioned his disgust at how films like this get a general release, let along big name stars and a huge advertising budget.

I love great horror, although I'm not as keen on the bad horror as my missus (Nostril Picker anyone? Chopping Mall?) but this film was just a bad film, horror aside. I have a fondess for Donald Sutherland as he's a fantastic actor and also Sissy Spacek for doing Carrie but why on earth they cast the girl they did as the main focus of the film I have no idea.

To borrow from Harry Hill: Bad film! Naughty film! In your bed!

 

[Whipped]

(Nostril Picker anyone? Chopping Mall?)

Try "The Incredible Melting Man"

 

[Aada]

Your girlfriend obviously has taste. I could write a massive critique on this film but I'll simply say "it is shit". I have said it countless times on this forum and I have just said it again. I was nearly angry when leaving the cinema. Why oh why does this nonsense get a cinema release? I am now boycotting all horror movies (until someone makes a good one that doesn't originate in Japan).

She doesn't like horror movies at all because they are boring and predictable.. i don't mind going to watch one if i have nothing to do. I didn't think the film was awful but it wasn't great either.

I think its hard to make a good horror movie in this generation.. they can only go 1 way which is a group of 5 people who get picked off 1 by 1 until there is 1 person left who escapes only to see 5mins later that she hasn't really escaped and the person/monster is in the back of their car.

 

[TdC]

they can only go 1 way which is a group of 5 people who get picked off 1 by 1 until there is 1 person left who escapes only to see 5mins later that she hasn't really escaped and the person/monster is in the back of their car.

not a bad summary tbh