2 Pulses
For those of us who grew up in the Middle Tennessee area, the legend of the Bell Witch is one that has captivated many of us since childhood. Her story, and almost 200 years of folklore, has finally arrived on the big screen as An American Haunting.
Based on the book of the same name by Brent Monohan, the film claims to be the most documented ghost tale in American history and the only one where a spirit took the life of a human being.
Directed by the film’s writer, Courtney Solomon (2000’s Dungeons and Dragons is his only previous work), the story begins in the present, which is a little disconcerting. Hollywood has a habit of modernizing classic stories, but this opening proves to be just an intro with only a mother and daughter and just an excuse for some thrills. The daughter is suffering from nightmares while Mom digs into the written family history of the Bells, found in the attic with a very creepy old doll.
As Mom reads, the real story unfolds in 1817 Red River, Tenn., involving John Bell (Sutherland) engaging in some shady business endeavors affecting reputed witch, Kate Batts (Brown). Soon after, Batts lays a curse upon Bell and his daughter, Betsy (Hurd-Wood), strange things begin happening.
Unfortunately, those strange things never venture much further than some erratic camera movements and slamming windows and doors, candles blazing or blowing out quickly. There’s a whole lot of tension being created here, but nothing’s really happening.
Cinematographer Adrian Biddle tries to trick you into believing scary things are going on, but it’s not enough by showing movement from the spirit’s point of view. He uses wacky camera angles and all sorts of lenses, including fish-eye and negative lenses. There’s a lot of circular panning used to create chaos, but that’s really all?just a lot of chaos. Biddle, who was also the cinematographer on this year’s V for Vendetta and has an curious collection of films under his belt from Thelma and Louise and Willow to Judge Dredd and Shanghai Nights, seems to be having fun playing around here. Maybe he’d just bought a new camera or owed a favor to director Solomon.
The performances do salvage the film a bit. Spacek plays Lucy Bell, subdued and ethereal as the mother. Sutherland manages to be both paternal and ghastly. We witness his steady decline as the witch exacts her revenge and we see John Bell as a man full of regret, knowing it was he who brought this into his family.
The true star here, though, is Hurd-Wood. Though a young Brit, she captures the southern accent and creates a solemn little girl who has witnessed way too much in her young life. A relative newcomer, Hurd-Wood played Wendy Darling in 2003’s live-action Peter Pan, but this role is much more substantial and she’s adjusted with ease. Plus, she’s got the chilling horror scream nailed.
The ending proves to be just one of the theories about the Bell Witch haunting and its theme may be a little heavy for the PG-13 rating. If you want to share the legend with your younger children, there may be some explaining to do afterwards.
For a better afternoon of entertainment, head up to Adams, Tenn., and create your own version of the haunting of the Bell witch.
