That's why the legend has received numerous accounts over the years from books to movies, but none have caught on as well as 2005's "An American Haunting." Rachel Hurd-Wood. The entity seemed to dislike one of Betsy's suitors, Joshua Gardner. The Ending Of An American Haunting Explained. If you believe in supernatural phenomenon then this book is right up your alley. It explains Betsy's poltergeist as due to repressed memories of her father molesting her, and it makes the final scenes look like Betsy and Lucy were in collusion with the poisoning of John Sr. Repeated business setbacks, family problems, and poor health may have made him hungry for a hit. The problem was that, based on Batts' reputation as a witch, Bell charged her 20% interest. An American Haunting is a 2005 horror film written and directed by Courtney Solomon and starring Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek, James D'Arcy, and Rachel Hurd-Wood. Yes, John Bell did die. Madalina Stan Ethereal Girl. It is implied that Richard is in love with Betsy. Kathe Batts. The children began to complain about having their bed covers pulled from them. The mother goes to her desk and picks up a binder full of old letters, with a note from someone who claims to be an ancestor. Lucy, Betsy's mother, has the same revelation because she witnessed the sexual assault, which she and Betsy repressed. Meh. She runs after her ex-husband's car, frantically yelling his name. Regarder le film An American Haunting en streaming complet VOSTFR, VF, VO | BetaSeries.com Seven years later, it appeared to John Jr, disappearing three weeks later with the promise of returning in 107 years (1935). In some theories about what actually took place during the Bell Witch hauntings, Powell is named as the "brains" behind the entity. He was great. An American Haunting is a film directed by Courtney Solomon with Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek, James D'Arcy, Rachel Hurd-Wood .. Year: 2006. The General, who had earned his tough reputation in many conflicts with Native Americans, was determined to confront the phenomenon and either expose it as a hoax or send the spirit away. Kate Batts's message of "You cursed yourself" is more literal than audiences may have anticipated on . The story is picked up by the story is picked up by the Guidebook for Tennessee, published in 1933 by the Federal Government's Works Project Administration: So widely spread was the news about The Bell Witch that people came from hundreds of miles around hoping to hear the spirit's shrill voice or witness a manifestation of its vile temper. Deep in the mountains of Pennsylvania, a sixty-six year old woman named Jean welds scrap metal into massive sculptures. Betsy is then seen at her father's grave, and the narrator says that Betsy was never haunted from that point forward. $28.00 + $4.50 shipping. It all started the day that John Bell Sr was out hunting and shot at a creature described as having the body of a dog and the head of a rabbit. Susan Almgren . Betsy is sexually assaulted by the spirit. Its worthy to note that he was once quoted as saying - "I'd rather face the whole British Army, than face the Bell Witch again". FR. Donald Sutherland (John Bell)Sissy Spacek (Lucy Bell)Rachel Hurd-Wood (Betsy Bell)James D'Arcy (Richard Powell)Matthew Marsh (James Johnston)Thom Fell (John Bell Jr.)Zoe Thorne (Theny Thorn)Gaye Brown (Kathe Batts)Sam Alexander (Joshua Gardner)Miquel Brown (Chloe)Vernon Dobtcheff (Elder #1)Shauna Shim (Anky)Madalina Stan (Ethereal Girl)Philip Hurd-Wood (Partygoer)Vlad Cruceru (Richard Bell (aged 4))Alin Rosca (Joel Bell (aged 10))Andrei Serban (Joel Bell (aged 6))Isabelle Almgren-Dor (Jane). On the property once owned by the Bells is a cave, which has since become known asThe Bell Witch Cave, and many locals claim to have seen strange apparitions at the cave and at other spots on the property. This movie was produced, written and directed by Courtney Solomon. The film is an international co-production between the United Kingdom, Canada . Like many horror movies, An American Haunting has a universal message that audiences can apply to their own lives:. Known as The Bell Witch, the strange and often violent poltergeist activity that provoked fear and curiosity in the small farming community has remained unexplained for nearly 200 yearsand is the inspiration for many fictional ghost stories. Capitol Films. This synopsis is from the UNRATED VERSION. It was a cruel and noisy spirit, given to rapping and gnawing sounds before it found its voices. Betsy is struck with a revelation that the attacks on her and her father are caused by a supernatural being who was born out of her innocence. All rights reserved. The premise of a found epistle to Betsy Bells daughter was a great one. It is important to note that although the bluray titles are different it is in fact the same theatrical movie starring Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spasek, Rachel Hurd-wood, and James Darcy. An American Haunting: Directed by Courtney Solomon. Zoe Thorne . The classmate is only a few years older than Betsy while Richard is considerably older at almost 20 years her senior. Sam Alexander Joshua Gardner. Gaye Brown Kathe Batts. By what name was An American Haunting (2005) officially released in India in English? To this date, the manifestations of the Bell Witch have yet to be explained, but the Bell Witch is still credited as being the only case in U.S. history where a spirit caused the death of a man. Prior to the haunting John Bell made a deal with Kate Batts, who had a reputation of being a witch, in which he gave her the use of a slave and a loan of $100 in return for the right to use a plot of her land. An American Haunting"--which was itself based on what is apparently the only known case in which the U.S. government acknowledged a death by supernatural forces--"American Haunting" is a difficult film to get a grip on. 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. I did not see it coming. Betsy is sexually assaulted by the spirit. An American Haunting. The film is an international co-production between the United Kingdom, Canada, Romania, and the United States. An old photograph that appears to be a wedding portrait of Richard Powell and Betsy is shown on a shelf. It stars Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek, James DArcy, and Rachel HurdWood. . Betsy is struck with a revelation that the attacks on her and her father are caused by a supernatural being who was born out of her innocence. I have no idea what happened in this book. She runs out of her house and catches a glimpse of her daughter's worried face peering out from the car window as it drives away; the implication is that the father is sexually abusing her. For historical interest, the ha Suddenly, she has a vision of Betsy Bell and realizes that what was happening to Betsy is happening to Jane, too. Not only were new scenes added to the unrated version, many of the plot scenes have been reintegrated elsewhere into the film or edited. An American Haunting. Richard Powell: [of Betsy] Can she love me? . Free shipping for many products! It is implied that Richard is in love with Betsy. User Ratings Betsy Bell / Entity Voice. And the knowledge that the ones who are supposed to protect young girls are the ones who could inflict the most harm is more evil than any spirit out there. Find out where to watch online amongst 45+ services including Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video. Betsy is then seen at her father's grave, and she is never haunted again. I'm a believer in ghosts, spirits and whatever else but this book had me saying, really?! Movie Info. In the spirit of The Exorcism of Emily Rose, here comes another PG-13 horror flick about a girl getting possessed by demons. According to the story the Haunting took place between the years 1817 & 1821, but the director (Courtney Solomon) does not give any since of time passing. The attacks grew in strength, with the spirit slapping, pulling, dragging, and beating the Bell's youngest daughter. Richard stays in the Bell home to observe Betsy's behavior. The ghost said it would reappear 107 years later - in 1935 - but if she did, no one in Adams came forward as a witness to it. It materialized out of Betsy's lost innocence after John sexually assaulted her his own daughter. Batts was not happy with the decision and, as Bell left the church, Batts confronted Bell and told him to "treasure your land, health, and happy family while you can, for I swear that dreadful darkness will fall upon youand your precious daughter, too." Is the Bell Witch a true legend or just an urban legend. We may earn a commission from links on this page. 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 . Although there are moments that should have been scary, the text was just too dry for it to confer the feelings of spine-tingling fright. In the 1800s, the Bell family household in rural Tennessee was subject to some kind of curse, a haunting if you will, that started slowly with weird noises around the house and then escalated into certain family . An American Haunting movie with Rachel Hurd-Wood. Betsy poisons her now bed-ridden father with medicine while her mother watches. The cause of its actions could always be felt, but no being could be seen, and no explanation found--only the promise that one day it would kill one of the family members. An invisible entity haunts a 19th century family, and family secrets soon begin to surface. Between the years 1818-1820, the Bell Family of Red River, Tennessee was visited by an unknown presence that haunted the family and eventually ended up causing the death of one its members. But I'm from Middle Tennessee and grew up with stories and playtime games of the Bell Witch hopping from child to child on the school playground. The film is an international co-production between the United Kingdom, Canada . Her mother reads an old letter from 1817 written by her ancestor, Lucy Bell. Freaky is probably the best word to describe this story. Written and directed by Courtney Solomon, whose only other credit is the supernaturally bad Dungeons& Dragons, An American Haunting is set in 1818 in Red River, Tenn. John Bell (Donald Sutherland) is a local bigwig whose shady land deal with a neighbor earns him a curse. The entity then flashes forward in time to Jane (Isabelle Almgren-Dor) and Elizabeth (Susan Almgren) (the daughter and mother presented in the opening scenes). 2005, 1h 23min - Horror, Thriller. Also, it tells nothing about General Andrew Jackson who visited Bell's family during that time and later became the American President. It's closely based on The Bell Witch: An American Haunting by Brent Monahan, a 1995 novel that claims to be the true story of the Bell Witch based on newly discovered papers belonging to Richard . In present day, the mother's daughter says her father has come to take her for their weekend stay. In 2006, in Red River, Tennessee, a teenager has frequent nightmares. The family then begins experiencing strange happenstances, such as the sound of someone creeping on the roof and terrible convulsions for the young Betsy Bell (Rachel Hurd-Wood) at night. The movie claims that there have been over 20 books written about the Bell Witch, but in reality there are fewer than 15, the legend is little-known outside Tennessee, and it wasnt mentioned at all until a jolly paragraph appeared in 1886s The Goodspeed History of Tennessee, in which the spirit comes across as a happy sort who would hold conversation and even shake hands. Fearing that the haunting was caused by a local woman--branded a witch--who had put a curse upon the family as a result of a land dispute, the Bells tried desperately to find ways to get rid of the woman's curse, yet the attacks and disturbances only escalated. The mother realizes Betsy is trying to warn her that something is amiss between her daughter and her ex-husband. When Batts did not repay the loan within two years, Bell seized the land. This article contains mentions of sexual assault. I like reading up on urban legends and American folklore so I was hopeful this would be a fun, creepy read. Edit, Awards Again, those who have both seen the movie and have knowledge about the legend say that the legend has been drastically altered. From the little that I know of the 200 year legend of the Bell Witch, "An American Haunting" sticks to the basic facts, at least. Hell Hound: At times the Bell Witch appears as a . Joel, Richard Williams and, especially, Betsy were subjected to being struck, pinched and having their hair pulled relentlessly by the Bell Witch. They acquire a persecuted, haunted look as the entity steps up its aggression, unleashing hordes of wolves and orchestrating kinetic carriage accidents as well as a bevy of dime-store digital effects whose cheesiness repeatedly undercuts the tension. According to church canon, 20% interest was considered usury (lending money and charging the borrower interest at an exorbitant or illegally high rate). This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers. She needed to "remember" that the true cause of her pain is her father's child sexual abuse of her. Most attacks were to him and his daughter Betsy. James D'Arcy Richard Powell. Usually, when I read a book I dislike as much as I ended up disliking this one, I stop reading it. She runs after her ex-husband's car, frantically yelling his name. An invisible entity haunts a 19th century family, and family secrets soon begin to surface. The horror film An American Haunting was based on the novel The Bell Witch: An American Haunting. Strange and terrifying events plague a family in 1817 Tennessee after a fellow citizen places a curse on the father. It is a quick a read. Pretty good ghost story. 5.0 (26,111) 38. Betsy was the Bell Daughter who was most violently attacked by the witch. The film is an international co-production between the United Kingdom, Canada, Romania, and the United States. Everyone has a secret they keep close to their chest, and it turns out John Bell (Donald Sutherland) has the darkest one of all. The legend of the Bell Witch centers on the John Bell family of Red River, Tennessee, now Adams, and the spiritual haunting they endured between 1817 and 1821. it is implied that Richard is in love with Betsy. 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