A Haunting in Salem (2011)

Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Absolutely Fantastic

It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

The Asylum's reputation proceeds itself, and for good reason; but this movie is a pleasant surprise. The acting is good; the mood, music, and setting is good. The plot is a little fast, IMO, but it still presents itself as a fair psychological thriller.I have no idea why people are trashing on this movie. Yes, the Asylum comes out with some horrible movies but this is NOT one of them. This movie has far more class than most of the other ones.I am a fan of Paranormal Entity, so it didn't surprise me that Shane Van Dyke directed this one too. I don't know why the Asylum doesn't allow him to direct all their movies. They'd be a respectable B-lister movie company if they did.

This film was very cliché and it was (according to the cover) a true story. But the film was poorly acted (especially by Bill Oberst Jr. who played Wayne the Sheriff/husband/father) and the story is just like any other haunting/possession movie out there (bad ones I mean). Oh, and I only saw the 2D version. It wouldn't have been that much better in 3D as it looked like it would've been filmed in 2D then transferred to 3D afterwards. As the film went on I was left trying to at least find some positives, but the only positive I did find was that Courtney Abbiati (who played the wife/mother Carrie) actually played her part quite well, and actually kept me watching to see how she held the film together. If it wasn't for her I would have switched the movie off after the first 15 minutes. And because of her better than average acting my rating is 2 out 10 instead of a 1. Not good.

It's another Asylum film, that's all you need to know. However, being that IMDb doesn't allow such shot reviews, let me elaborate, even if it's to my chagrin. A man and his family move into a haunted house and 'spooky' stuff happens. That's the long and short of it. The acting's utterly awful across the board (barely reaching the heights of say that of a middle school play), the film runs in drunken meandering circles and it isn't long at all until quasi-suicidal tedium sets in. So in other words simply what one would expect from the Asylum. Avoid it like the festering cinematic hemorrhoid that it is. The kicker is that THIS complete dud is actually one of the Asylums better films...My Grade: F+

I really honestly don't know what to say. Do I start with the special effects? Or do I go on with the whole written story. Both were terrible, as well as choosing the sheriff who completely resembles DOBY from Harry Potter. I found this to be more of a comedy than horror! I am not saying looks are everything but I believe in casting people that are somewhat attractive on screen, sorry to say DOBY was not. I will say the previews were great, which of course got me to watch. Good editing on that part. I can say that the house was beautiful. The only other problem i have is that the movie cover on this site resembles nothing about what this movie is really like. I hope to see a better horror next time.