Rachel Hurd-Wood in the Mediocre An American Haunting
Film: An American Haunting (2005). Young Actress: Rachel Hurd-Wood, age 14.
Set in 1817 Tennessee, An American Haunting follows the Bell family, who earn the enmity of an alleged local witch (Gaye Brown) after their father John (Donald Sutherland, The Hunger Games) wins against her in a court case. Soon after the case, poltergeist activity begins on the Bell homestead. There's some of your standard horror-movie fare - a crucifix flies off the wall, the family reaches out to a minster for help - but this movie has some unique elements, too. The activity is specifically focused on John's daughter Betsy (Rachel), and in a specifically sexual way.
Of course, kids getting targeted by demons/ghosts is nothing new (see The Conjuring 2, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, or Insidious 3, just to name a few) but it's not usually sexual, much less as sexual as it is here. An unseen force repeatedly turns down Betsy's blankets every night as she sleeps, and in one scene, it pins her spread-eagle to her bed while she writhes and thrashes in a way that suggests rape. It's obviously provocative, and I think that in the hands of a lesser actress, it would be very cheap shallow shock value. But fortunately for this film, Rachel is so talented that she makes Betsy feel real and believable, even when the dialogue and effects get a little hokey. (Another attack is filmed in strobe lighting.) This film has some of the same thing as August: Osage County, in that it comes close to being ridiculous, but the excellent cast saves it.
An American Haunting might've worked better if it had been made as a psychological thriller, rather than horror. It's never scary (no, not even one single scene), but it is interesting in how the haunting is triggered by Betsy's growing sexuality, not by the local witch, who's a pretty obvious decoy. Near the beginning, a boy at Betsy's school tries to kiss her, but she's more interested in pursuing their cute young teacher (James D'Arcy), much to the disapproval of her father, who calls her "precious." The movie emphasizes John's overprotectiveness throughout, and eventually, it implies that John raped Betsy, she repressed it, and the haunting is a manifestation of that. (In the real case of the Bell Witch haunting, there's no evidence to suggest that John Bell ever abused his daughter, so the film has a disclaimer at the end that it's just proposing a "theory.") While this might've been an interesting idea, the film doesn't execute it very well. It also loses points for the awful, unnecessary framing device, which has a modern-day woman reading old Bell family letters. I recommend fast-forwarding through every scene of this storyline, because it's just that bad.
Set in 1817 Tennessee, An American Haunting follows the Bell family, who earn the enmity of an alleged local witch (Gaye Brown) after their father John (Donald Sutherland, The Hunger Games) wins against her in a court case. Soon after the case, poltergeist activity begins on the Bell homestead. There's some of your standard horror-movie fare - a crucifix flies off the wall, the family reaches out to a minster for help - but this movie has some unique elements, too. The activity is specifically focused on John's daughter Betsy (Rachel), and in a specifically sexual way.
Of course, kids getting targeted by demons/ghosts is nothing new (see The Conjuring 2, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, or Insidious 3, just to name a few) but it's not usually sexual, much less as sexual as it is here. An unseen force repeatedly turns down Betsy's blankets every night as she sleeps, and in one scene, it pins her spread-eagle to her bed while she writhes and thrashes in a way that suggests rape. It's obviously provocative, and I think that in the hands of a lesser actress, it would be very cheap shallow shock value. But fortunately for this film, Rachel is so talented that she makes Betsy feel real and believable, even when the dialogue and effects get a little hokey. (Another attack is filmed in strobe lighting.) This film has some of the same thing as August: Osage County, in that it comes close to being ridiculous, but the excellent cast saves it.
Click to viewAn American Haunting might've worked better if it had been made as a psychological thriller, rather than horror. It's never scary (no, not even one single scene), but it is interesting in how the haunting is triggered by Betsy's growing sexuality, not by the local witch, who's a pretty obvious decoy. Near the beginning, a boy at Betsy's school tries to kiss her, but she's more interested in pursuing their cute young teacher (James D'Arcy), much to the disapproval of her father, who calls her "precious." The movie emphasizes John's overprotectiveness throughout, and eventually, it implies that John raped Betsy, she repressed it, and the haunting is a manifestation of that. (In the real case of the Bell Witch haunting, there's no evidence to suggest that John Bell ever abused his daughter, so the film has a disclaimer at the end that it's just proposing a "theory.") While this might've been an interesting idea, the film doesn't execute it very well. It also loses points for the awful, unnecessary framing device, which has a modern-day woman reading old Bell family letters. I recommend fast-forwarding through every scene of this storyline, because it's just that bad.