An American Haunting: A Terrifying Tale of the Bell Witch
An American Haunting is a 2005 horror film based on the legend of the Bell Witch, a poltergeist that allegedly tormented a Tennessee family in the early 19th century. The film stars Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek, James D’Arcy and Rachel Hurd-Wood as the members of the Bell family who are plagued by a mysterious and violent spirit.
The film was directed by Courtney Solomon and written by Brent Monahan, based on his novel The Bell Witch: An American Haunting. The film was shot in Romania and Canada, using high-definition digital video cameras. The film was released on May 5, 2006 in the United States and Canada, and received mixed reviews from critics. The film grossed $29.6 million worldwide against a budget of $14 million.
An American Haunting is available on HDDVD in 720p resolution, encoded with x264 codec by REVEiLLE. The HDDVD release features a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track, English subtitles, and several bonus features, including a commentary by the director, a documentary on the Bell Witch legend, deleted scenes, and trailers. The HDDVD release has a runtime of 83 minutes and a file size of 4.37 GB.
The film alternates between the past and the present, where the mother and daughter are experiencing similar phenomena as the Bells. The mother discovers that the letters are written by Lucy Bell to her daughter Betsy, who married Richard Powell after John Bell’s death. The letters reveal that John Bell sexually abused Betsy for years, and that the spirit was actually a manifestation of her subconscious rage and guilt. The spirit killed John Bell by poisoning him with a vial of his own medicine, and then disappeared. Betsy suppressed the memories of the abuse and the haunting, but they resurfaced when she received a letter from her dying mother.
In the present, the mother confronts her ex-husband, who is also abusing their daughter. She threatens to expose him and take him to court. He denies everything and attacks her, but she fights back and escapes with her daughter. They drive away from the house, but the spirit follows them and causes them to crash. The mother wakes up in a hospital, where she learns that her daughter is in a coma. She also finds out that her ex-husband died in the crash. She realizes that the spirit is still with them, and that it is a part of her daughter’s psyche. She vows to help her daughter heal and overcome the trauma.
The film ends with a voice-over narration by Lucy Bell, who says that the spirit will never leave them, and that it is a part of their family history. She warns that anyone who reads her letters will also be haunted by the spirit, and that it will not rest until it has justice. The film then shows a montage of images from the Bell Witch legend, such as the cave where the spirit supposedly resides, and the historical marker that commemorates the haunting. The film also shows a quote from former U.S. President Andrew Jackson, who allegedly visited the Bell farm and witnessed the spirit’s activity. He reportedly said: \”I would rather face the entire British Army than to spend another night with the Bell Witch.\”