Total surprise. An American Haunting is a blend of the history and myth surrounding the spirit known as the Bell Witch that terrorized the Bell family of Red River, Tennessee in 1817. Much of the movie's runtime involves characters discussing how Kate Batts is a witch. The General, who had earned his tough reputation in many conflicts with Native Americans, was determined to confront the phenomenon and either expose it as a hoax or send the spirit away. Lucy as the narrator says that the entity never bothered Betsy again and explains her belief that it was created by Betsy as a means of protecting herself. It's an influential figure in Southern folklore who supposedly haunted a Tennessee family 200 years ago, and she may very well dwell in that space to this day (via The Southern Weekend). Alin . He was great. Strange events begin to occur and John believes that Batts cursed him. An invisible entity haunts a 19th century family, and family secrets soon begin to surface. An American Haunting (2006) movie review: Screenwriter, director, and co-producer Courtney Solomon . John Bell is taken to church court and found guilty of theft of a woman's land. Scary and engaging. The first account of the Bell story ever to be published can be found in "An Authenticated History of the Famous Bell Witch", written by M. V. Ingram in 1894. She sends her daughter to her ex-husband, who is waiting outside. The church releases him with the verdict that his loss of honor is sufficient punishment. A little meandering during the first half, but worthwhile for the second. Then you unwrap it and discover that its just another electric gravy boat and, worse, its still got the price tag attached. Richard Jolley (b 1952) American, Sculpture. From the little that I know of the 200 year legend of the Bell Witch, "An American Haunting" sticks to the basic facts, at least. An American Haunting is a 2005 horror film written and directed by Courtney Solomon and starring Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek, James D'Arcy, and Rachel Hurd-Wood. HD. He married Betsy Bell. Betsy Bell / Entity Voice. The Top 50 Cartoon Characters of All Time. Rachel Hurd-Wood. With the support of Betsy's school teacher Richard Powell, who tries to find rational explanations for the manifestation; her brother John Bell Jr.; and their friend James Johnston, who unsuccessfully tries to exorcize the entity from the house, the family does their best to protect Betsy in the . Y'all this book was a struggle. Its also not a true story. Sporting Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek in the cast and supposedly based on true events validated by the State of Tennessee as the only case in US history where a spirit has caused the death of a human being, this is a well-packaged film that arrives like a nicely wrapped Christmas present, full of promise and potential. Starring: Josh Groban, Annaleigh Ashford, Jordan Fisher, Gaten Matarazzo, Ruthie Ann Miles, Maria Bilbao, Jamie Jackson, John Rapson, Nicholas Christopher in the musical thriller about the Demon Barber of . [2] Rotten Tomatoes reports a 14% rating from 71 reviews; the consensus states: "Well, it looks good. Thom Fell John Bell Jr. Shauna Shim Anky. In 1896, the act of cashing in was not anachronistic. This article contains mentions of sexual assault. Everyone has a secret they keep close to their chest, and it turns out John Bell (Donald Sutherland) has the darkest one of all. Brent lives in Yardley, PA, with his wife, Bonnie. Is "An American Haunting" based on a true story? I have only done minimal research on the Bell Witch or "Old Kate" so I really cannot vouch for the accuracy of this novel. Voices began to accompany the spirit, who eventually became so violent that it was "seen" slapping Betsy and pulling her hair. The Ending Of An American Haunting Explained. Beyond that, the State of Tennessee is silent. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License available at https://creativecommons.org/licens When she sees the Bell Witch, a ghost that takes the form of a girl, she awakens with a scream. An American Haunting is a 2005 horror film written and directed by Courtney Solomon and starring Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek, James D'Arcy, and Rachel Hurd-Wood. Religion is casually mentioned in An American Haunting, but mostly in a By the power of Jesus Christ, I compel you to leave this house, kind of way. Based on a purported real-life case about a Tennessee family at odds with a ghostly presence, this technically accomplished horror drama takes the conventional route while mostly wasting its stars. Cookies help us deliver our Services. An American Haunting movie with Rachel Hurd-Wood. An invisible entity haunts a 19th century family, and family secrets soon begin to surface. Richard Jolley was born in Wichita, Kansas, and has maintained a glass studio in Knoxville, Tennessee since 1975. The marriage took place in March of 1824, when Betsy was 18 years old and Powell was 29. John tries to kill himself, but the spirit stops him. According to the story the Haunting took place between the years 1817 & 1821, but the director (Courtney Solomon) does not give any since of time passing. Theny Thorn. Madalina Stan Ethereal Girl. We may earn a commission from links on this page. The offended party, Kate Batts, is infamous in the village due to claims of witchcraft. I haven't watched Bell Witch Haunting (2004) but I have read a lot about the original legend. Prior to the haunting John Bell made a deal with Kate Batts, who had a reputation of being a witch, in which he gave her the use of a slave and a loan of $100 in return for the right to use a plot of her land. Elizabeth finishes reading Lucy's letter just as her father David (HoJo Rose) arrives to pick her up. The Bells-John Bell Sr (played by Donald Sutherland), his wife Lucy (Sissy Spacek), son John Jr (Thom Fell), and youngest daughter Betsy (Rachel Hurd-Wood)-were plagued by a violent poltergeist or spirit that began haunting them in 1817 and continued to haunt them for years afterward. 1.) Richard Powell: [of Betsy] Can she love me? Browser does not support the . 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. John loses his sanity and sees many forms of the Bell Witch. An American Haunting" takes parts of "The Amityville Horror" and Tim Burton's " Sleepy Hollow" and mixes them into a visually striking package of horror and suspense. "An American Haunting" is scary all right, but not for . After reading it, the daughter's picked up by her father, and it's at this point the mother sees the Bell Witch. The events in the novel are based on the legend of the Bell Witch. It materialized out of Betsy's lost innocence after John sexually assaulted her his own daughter. Kathe Batts. The film is an international co-production between the United . She needed to "remember" that the true cause of her pain is her father's child sexual abuse of her. Richard Powell. After a dispute of lands judged by the church, her husband John Bell is cursed by his opponent Kathe Batts . Joel, Richard Williams and, especially, Betsy were subjected to being struck, pinched and having their hair pulled relentlessly by the Bell Witch. She runs after her ex-husband's car, frantically yelling his name. Ok, if I sit and think about this sort of thing happening to myself, or to someone I know, to actually experience this sort of happening, it Would be terrifying by all accounts. External Reviews You've heard of the Blair Witch; now get ready for the terror of the Bell Witch. Like many horror movies, An American Haunting has a universal message that audiences can apply to their own lives:. In some theories about what actually took place during the Bell Witch hauntings, Powell is named as the "brains" behind the entity. Copies of the book have been placed online on various websites. An American Haunting is a film directed by Courtney Solomon with Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek, James D'Arcy, Rachel Hurd-Wood .. Year: 2006. Again, those who have both seen the movie and have knowledge about the legend say that the legend has been drastically altered. Bigtime. Her mother reads an old letter from 1817 written by her ancestor, Lucy Bell. It's short, right under 200 pages, but manthere are no breaks!!! On her deathbed, she swore that she would haunt John Bell and his descendants. Elizabeth says goodbye to her daughter, sends her off with her father, and returns inside the house. . Executive producers, Allen Zeman, Robbie Little, Lawrence Steven Meyers, Simon Frands, Zygi Kamasa, Maxime Remillard, Nelson Leong . An invisible entity haunts a 19th century family, and family secrets soon begin to surface. It all started the day that John Bell Sr was out hunting and shot at a creature described as having the body of a dog and the head of a rabbit. A terrified young girl runs through the forest and into her house to escape from an unseen threat. The film switches from the 21st century to the 19th, and features a subplot about a recently divorced mother (Susan Almgren) whose daughter (Isabelle Almgren-Dor) is going through something like the same experience as Betsy Bell. Metacritic Reviews. Gaye Brown . The story's denouement at the end of the film was also edited strongly. My cousin scared me to death with Bell Witch stories when I was little. The family then begins experiencing strange happenstances, such as the sound of someone creeping on the roof and terrible convulsions for the young Betsy Bell (Rachel Hurd-Wood) at night. FR. Ingram was a newspaperman who was on the hustle for a story all of his life. She sends her daughter to her ex-husband, who is waiting outside. The entity then flashes forward in time to Jane (Isabelle Almgren-Dor) and Elizabeth (Susan Almgren) (the daughter and mother presented in the opening scenes). Betsy poisons her now bed-ridden father with medicine while her mother watches. A few rational explanations of The Bell Witch phenomena have been offered over the years. Mary Stuart Masterson (director); Jayce Bartok (screenplay); Kristen Stewart, Aaron Stanford, Bruce Dern, Elizabeth Ashley. She runs out of her house and catches a glimpse of her daughter's worried face peering out from the car window as it drives away; the implication is that the father is sexually abusing her. 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