I really don't have any major complaints about the film except it was more of a visual-audio experience than a memorable story. That makes me wonder how times I would watch this, since I already own a lot of great visual movies. Cinematography-wise, this film reminded me a bit of Sleepy Hollow, but not quite as dramatically filmed as that. There also is excellent 5.1surround sound in here. Being a ghost story, and one that is trying to scare the viewer here and there, sudden jolts of sound is important and utilized well here.

I also appreciated this was done without almost any profanity and with famous actors like Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek. I expected some Bible-bashing since that's normally the case in these ghost or witch stories, but it wasn't bad here. However, the "surprise" almost political-correctness ending didn't really surprise me, considering how films are these days.

A decent movie but 50-50 whether I would watch it again.

In 2006, in Red River, Tennessee, a teenager has frequent nightmares. Her mother reads an old letter from 1817 written by her ancestor, Lucy Bell (Sissy Spacek). After a dispute of lands judged by the church, her husband John Bell (Donald Sutherland) is cursed by his opponent Kathe Batts (Gaye Brown),who has a fame of being a witch. From this moment on, an entity threatens John and her daughter Betsy Bell (Rachel Hurd-Wood),attacking the girl during the nights. With the support of Betsy's school teacher Richard Powell (James D'Arcy),who tries to find rational explanations for the manifestation; her brother John Bell Jr. (Thom Fell); and their friend James Johnston (Matthew Marsh),who unsuccessfully tries to exorcise the entity from the house, the family does their best to protect Betsy in the haunted house.

"An American Haunting" is a very tense story, with excellent cast and magnificent cinematography, environment and visual and sound effects. Unfortunately, the conclusion is weak and very disappointing, wasting a promising horror movie. The writers Brent Monahan and Courtney Solomon simply spoil a scary story of poltergeist, with a terrible twist to an incest situation. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Maldição" ("Curse")

A divorced mother is living in the woods with her daughter suffering from nightmares. She finds a letter from 1848 by the previous occupant recounting the tale of the Bell Witch. It's 1817 Red River, Tennessee. The church finds John Bell (Donald Sutherland) of usury for charging 20% interest against rumored witch Kate Batts. However Batts doesn't get her expected reciprocity and vows revenge on him and his beloved daughter Betsy (Rachel Hurd-Wood).

It looks good but there are few scares. The jump scares come with regularity which only makes it less scary. It's a lot of loud surprise noises and horror soundtrack. Sutherland and Sissy Spacek seem to be slumming it here in this one. This could work with Rachel Hurd-Wood front and center. Instead the movie starts with another girl in a different time period. It takes awhile to get to her and the movie keeps going back to the veterans. The reveal is problematic and a little bit confusing. This is a fair ghost story but it isn't scary.