Haunt (2014)

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

"So you want to hear a ghost story? Well, every ghost story begins with a house... and a tragedy. And so we begin with mine."The beginning really feels creepy. The rest of the film looks typical. Just another haunted-house topic with a whole range of already used elements from similar films. For the real horror fanatics it's nothing new or surprising. Expect creaking doors, manifesting entities , scary sounds behind every door and in every corner, looming shadows and sudden scares. This film contains them all and therefore looks like a hodgepodge of already used ideas. Except for that impression-making start wherein an original device is proposed : an old-fashioned looking device composed of transistors and radio lamps that can be used to communicate with the deceased. The tormented and desperate person who wants to use it to get in touch with his children, soon will experience the consequences. They are less pleasant than he had expected.The Asher family moves into an old house of which there are rumors that it's haunted. The Morello family who lived there previously, was decimated cruelly. The only survivor was the matriarch Janet Morello (Jacki Weaver) who shows up while the Ashers are moving in, saying that she forgot to take something with her. During her brief visit she talks to Evan (Harrison Gilbertson), the son of the family Asher, telling him that her son died when he was Evan's age and that the attic was his bedroom. The moment Evan meets the rebellious teenage girl Sam (Liana Liberato) during a nighttime walk, a close friendship grows in between them. Before he realizes it, Sam snuggles into his bed at night. After a while they start to experiment with the strange device that they found (the one you saw in the opening scene) in a side room in the attic (actually Sam knew it was there anyway). A dangerous game that opens the door for not so friendly ghosts.Ghost stories with an old, possessed house as a central subject, is an eagerly used topic in the horror genre. Think of "The Conjuring", "The Woman in Black", "The Amityville Horror" or "Poltergeist" and you know what to expect. The old clichés aren't shunned. Every time there's an appearance, lights start to flicker again (in the same way as you saw in "Deliver us from Evil") There's even an entity that looks as if it came straight out of the movie "The Ring". And events from the past are shown in a creepy way in black and white. Unfortunately there are also the ridiculous-looking clichés. Like the fact that the new family happens to have the same composition of family members as the previous unfortunate family. Despite terrifying apparitions and confrontations, everyone just continues as if this is the most normal thing in the world. Even worrying gibberish of the youngest daughter ("If there's really a ghost in Evan's room, l think he should make friends with it.") doesn't bother anyone. And of course at that time the parents leave the entire household behind, so they can visit a few colleagues.Despite the obvious events, apparitions and paranormal states, I was still a bit surprised by the final denouement. Visually and in terms of atmosphere they could have created a really eerie and creepy film. The ghost part isn't so bad because they are surely scary at times. But the storyline is certainly not that exciting. And the performances are pretty one-dimensional. Parents are more absent than present, the older daughter was totally unnecessary and the younger sister lived in her own world. Gilbertson and Liberato formed a sympathetic couple but Gilbertson's naivety is hugely irritating. I enjoy an old-fashioned ghost story once and a while. Such a film that gives you the chills at times. The only chills I got while watching "Haunt", were those of the cold because of an open window in the middle of the night.More reviews here : http://bit.ly/1KIdQMT

Talking about "Haunt" (2013) Directed by Max Carter and Written by Andrew Barrer, Spoilers ahead, as I am going to discuss this movie, This movie opens with a scenario that is almost by the book; Family moves into house with bad reputation. Perhaps The Amityville Horror(1979) set the precedent, and it has been used countless times since then. So, the question is, how do you keep it interesting? Starting off with a good cast is a step in the right direction. Here, all the leads are fine. It is the two teens leads, Evan Played by Harrison Gilbertson, and the neighbor girl he befriends, Sam played by Liana Liberato who carry the story; Sam knows the history of the house, and the folks who lived there before. She leads Evan to the houses dark secret,Evan's Parents, Alan and Emily, played by Brian Wimmer, and Lone Skye Just bought the old home in the country, and are moving their family there. Their son Even and his two sisters, Sara and the younger Anita. Played by Danielle Churchran, and Ella Harris. Both have a sense that all is not right with the house,More so, the older Sara. Rounding out the cast is Janet Morello, The house's prior owner, with a secret. Played by Jacki Weaver, The adults go through the movie, mostly oblivious to the malignant force that is terrifying the kids. At other times the Parents are conspicuously absent. Just written that way, they had to be out of the picture for the duration of the last third of the film, only to return at the end.By the first half the nature of the movie shifts as Evan and Sam want to explore the mystery of the spirits, They do so with the aid of a machine that can, "Talk to the Dead" A door was opened with awful consequences ensuing as the young ones fool with things they do not understand.The Machine is beautiful. a cross between a ham radio device, and a wire running recorder. It had a crank up generator. and gages and tubes. It was a beautiful construct.that stole the show. Hat's off to the design team that cooked it up.The sound design was good, fine cinematography by Adam Marsden, shot in Utah in early winter. Competently scored by Reinhold Heil, and Edited with style. I liked the initial restraint, Building the mood. and the "mood" had a lot to do with the power of this production. It did have it's jump moments and carried an air of dread, while all the while you were rooting for the Eliot and Sam, One winces when they decide to do stupid things. Eight, We've seen it all before, Stars, but seldom so classy, out of Ten.

This get really boring. Drag, drag, drag, drag, drag, is this over yet? Yes, that is how boring these movies are. Why do we get these movies from Directors? Is it because Directors have no clue what to do with a horror movie? I am pretty sure its a yes. I don't know which is worse, found footage or these kind that drag on and on, about what? We don't know until last 5 to 10 minutes of the movie.Is that what we pay for? Just 5 to 10 good minutes of the movie. Rated R? For what? Just a puddle of blood? Man, we need some Directors from the 80's back. These new movies like this suck so bad. Stacy enjoys it. I need to make a joke after watching this. We are getting more PG-13 horror, and rated R ones that are worse than a PG-13, like this one and The Conjuring or should we called them The Lame Ones?I think its people that actually believe in ghosts that actually enjoy these. Yes, I don't believe in ghosts. At least not in this world, and not in reality. I believe in spirits, and they are in a special place not here. So these movies really suck. Rated R or PG-13 or PG. They just suck if it has to do with ghosts.I know there is fake stuff like vampires and werewolves, but at at least they are not boring and interesting to watch. Make me start drinking, and I hate alcohol. I can't enough of how bad these are and found footage movies are.

The movie was a typical ghost story that became more predictable as the it went on. The repeated presence of Sam (and her back story) leads to a early identification of the female ghost with in the house. Also the absence of the majority of the family throughout the movie takes away from a whole other dimension of the storyline. The graphics were not terrible but not extraordinary by any means.The main actor and actress where decent but the rest of the cast fell short. In particular the previous owner of the house lacks emotional response in all but one scene. Facial expressions felt false and vocal inflection misplaced by this character.Some interesting camera shots should be noted. While there were many stereo-typical horror movie shots, others gave the viewer a unique perspective that heightened intensity. Some shots built up intensity that had viewers ready for a scare, then the scene would end without bringing the initially expected terror.Although this movie is not fantastic it can scare some younger viewers. If you are looking for a mediocre horror film that might make you hesitant to move, this is probably not a bad choice. Despite its flaws the movie can still be enjoyed by a variety of viewers.