An American Haunting

Play trailer

An American Haunting

PG-13

Released May 5, 2006

1h 30m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

12%

Tomatometer

66 Reviews

35%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Landowners in 1817 Tennessee, John (Donald Sutherland) and Lucy Bell (Sissy Spacek) experience strange and terrifying events after fellow parishioners find John guilty of loan-sharking and his victim curses the Bell family. The incidents culminate in the daughter's (Rachel Hurd-Wood) apparent possession by demons.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

Well, it looks good. But wasn't it supposed to be scary?

Read Critics Reviews

Brian Tallerico

UGO

Takes the most documented ghost story in history and doesn't create one truly scary moment.

Mar 24, 2007

Full Review

Empire Magazine

Rated: 1/5

Dec 30, 2006

Full Review

Matthew Leyland

BBC.com

Unoriginal and unrelenting, this gothic ghost story invests too much time in banging doors and billowing drapes and not enough in its characters.

Rated: 2/5

Jun 3, 2006

Full Review

Alberto Abuín

Espinof

A bad movie, that I assure you is a waste of time. [Full Review in Spanish]

Feb 14, 2020

Full Review

Debbie Lynn Elias

Behind The Lens

Guaranteed to keep you up at night with every light in the house on, An American Haunting is the best haunt we've had in a long time.

Nov 6, 2019

Full Review

Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

The frights are few and the moment of horrific revelation is a big letdown in writer/director Courtney Solomon's cinematic treatment of Brent Monahan's novel "The Bell Witch: An American Haunting."

Rated: C-

Apr 19, 2009

Full Review

Read all reviews

Audience Member

Such bad editing makes the ending so confusing

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/27/24

Full Review

Dawn T

Not worth your time. Bad concept, not scary or suspenseful, eye-rolling reveal.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

10/09/23

Full Review

Trey W

I am absolutely disgusted by this movie's portrayal of this story. As someone who grew up in the area; of the hundreds of times I've heard this story, never, have I ever, heard such an outrageous and disturbing depiction of John Bell. This is absolutely disgusting and is in no way, shape, or form accurate in any way. The fact that they say this is "based on a true story" is a slap in the face to the Bell family and the people of Adams, Tn. This movie is complete garbage and should be considered 'fan fiction' at best.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

07/20/23

Full Review

Colin M

Supernatural tale. Told mainly in the past. But lacked a sufficient ending in the present: instead seeming to end just in the middle of something that needed more.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/03/23

Full Review

Georgan G

Not a horror film, really. Pretty cinematography but it took two subplots to show the haunting was about child sexual abuse.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

05/27/23

Full Review

Andres H

good story, good actors, the special effects accord the time that it transcurred, remember is based on a true story, so you cant find an extra sobrenatural adventure

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/06/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Courtney Solomon

Director

Donald Sutherland

John Bell

Sissy Spacek

Lucy Bell

Rachel Hurd-Wood

Betsy Bell

James D'Arcy

Richard Powell

Matthew Marsh

James Johnston

An American Haunting: Official Clip - A Forest of Ghosts and Wolves

2:54

An American Haunting: Official Clip - I'm So Afraid

1:37

An American Haunting: Official Clip - Ghostly Attack

1:53

An American Haunting: Official Clip - You're Gonna Die

2:28

An American Haunting: Official Clip - Do You Want to Play?

2:08

An American Haunting: Official Clip - Night Terror

2:37

An American Haunting: Official Clip - Chased Through a Nightmare

1:43

An American Haunting: Official Clip - The First Haunting

2:19

View more videos

What Lies Beneath

48%

58%

What Lies Beneath

Watchlist

TRAILER

for What Lies Beneath

The Skeleton Key

37%

58%

The Skeleton Key

Watchlist

The Exorcism of Emily Rose

45%

60%

The Exorcism of Emily Rose

Watchlist

The Fog

4%

19%

The Fog

Watchlist

Dark Water

47%

28%

Dark Water

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Box Office Guru Preview: "28 Weeks Later" and "Georgia Rule" To Battle For #2 Spot

Cast Your Vote in the Teen Choice Awards

Box Office Wrapup: "X-Men 3" Smashes Records Over Memorial Day Weekend

View more photos

Synopsis

Landowners in 1817 Tennessee, John (Donald Sutherland) and Lucy Bell (Sissy Spacek) experience strange and terrifying events after fellow parishioners find John guilty of loan-sharking and his victim curses the Bell family. The incidents culminate in the daughter's (Rachel Hurd-Wood) apparent possession by demons.

Director: Courtney Solomon
Producer: Courtney Solomon, Christopher Milburn, Andre Rouleau
Screenwriter: Courtney Solomon
Distributor: Freestyle Releasing
Production Co: Media Pro Pictures, Midsummer Films, After Dark Films, Christopher Milburn Production, Remstar Productions
Rating: PG-13 (Thematic Material|Intense Terror Sequences)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 5, 2006, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 1, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $16.3M
Runtime: 1h 30m

Most Popular at Home Now