An American Haunting
| An American Haunting | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Courtney Solomon |
| Produced by | Courtney Solomon Christopher Milburn André Rouleau Executive: Maxime Rémillard Allan Zeman |
| Screenplay by | Courtney Solomon |
| Based on |
The Bell Witch: An American Haunting by Brent Monahan |
| Starring |
Donald Sutherland Sissy Spacek James D'Arcy Rachel Hurd-Wood |
| Music by |
Justin Burnett (as Caine Davidson) |
| Cinematography | Adrian Biddle |
| Edited by | Richard Comeau |
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Production
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| Distributed by |
Redbus Film Distribution (UK) Odeon Films (Canada) Freestyle Releasing (US) |
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Release date
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Running time
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83 Minutes (Theatrical) 90 Minutes (Unrated) |
| Country | United Kingdom Canada Romania United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $14 million |
| Box office | $29,612,137 |
An American Haunting is a 2005 American horror film written and directed by Courtney Solomon. It stars Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek, James D'Arcy, and Rachel Hurd-Wood. The film was previewed at the AFI Film Festival on November 5, 2005 and was released in the UK on April 14, 2006 with follow-up in US theaters on May 5. The film is an international co-production between the United Kingdom, Canada, Romania, and the United States.
The film is based on the novel The Bell Witch: An American Haunting, by Brent Monahan. The events in the novel are based on the legend of the Bell Witch. 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-Doré) is going through something like the same experience as Betsy Bell.
The film opens in present time with a terrified young girl running through the forest and into her house to escape an unseen threat. She awakens with a scream. Her mother dismisses it as a dream and reminds her that this is her week to visit her father. She picks up an old, broken doll and asks her daughter where she got it. When the girl answers that she found it in the attic, her mother reminds her that the attic is off-limits and not to go up there again.
The mother goes to her desk and picks up a binder full of old letters, with a note from someone that says they're from an ancestor. The letters appear to be written in 19th-century script.
The film switches to a girl and boy running through the woods dressed in early 19th-century garb, and the story moves into that of the Bell Witch.
John Bell is taken to church court and found guilty of theft of a woman's land. The church releases him with the verdict that his loss of honor is sufficient punishment. The offended party, Kate Batts, is infamous in the village due to claims of witchcraft.
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Wikipedia