The Haunted (1991)

I love this movie so much

As Good As It Gets

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Blistering performances.

If you are expecting a gory, violent horror film look elsewhere because this is not it. This is an effective, nervy, creepy piece which relies on making the viewer feel uncomfortable. The acting is good for a TV movie and for the time has passable effects. The script whilst adequate is not earth shattering. All in all, sit alone in a dark room and watch this. Sure, you may laugh at the dated nature of all old TV movies but once finished, leave the lights off for a few minutes. Bet that shadow over in the corner starts to look like something else :-) There are similar ghost films. Some are better. Some are worse. Give this little gem a try - you won't regret it.

This movie freaked me out. I live in Pittston, across the river from West Pittston. My parents always talk about how it was occurring around the time I was born. I have researched it a lot and I've ridden my bike over to see the house. The movie is pretty lame graphically (but hey it was 1991 so...). If I had seen this in 1991, I would have been really scared. Yeah, they make a mistake when they miss pronounce "Wilkes Berry" (thats how i say it).. Also, the street doesn't remind me of their street. It looks like a street thats farther down the block from there. My parents told me the part where all the news people are at their house and the church groups and ave maria plays reminded them of when they used to go drive past the house at night and seeing all the news and people there... Chaos. My dad was on CNN on the phone around the time of this and Larry King asked him if he was near the house and they talked about it. Overall, this movie is cool, with lame graphics, and OK actors.

A religious family moves into a new house and the mother is almost immediately attacked by a spirit in the house. Nobody believes her until other members of her family start seeing things too. Setting aside the fact that this is based on a "true story", the script, actors, and direction are all terrible. It could've easily been a Roger Corman movie from the 50's. There are cheap musical cues for the standard scares, horrendous overacting, and, as with many book adaptations, unnecessary narration. It's very sad when something happens and then the narration tells you what just happened or when the same bad scare, the so called, "demon rape", is used over and over. Then, there is all the supposed solution to all problems, prayer. Riiight. But, shockingly, that doesn't work. So, what do you do when you have tried religion and it can't get rid of that pesky ghost problem, who do you call? The media. Sure, sharp choice, if you want to be labeled a wacko. So, how do you get rid of the media which is now camped on your front yard, threaten them with a shot gun. I could do this all day. Ghosts may or may not exist, but one thing is for sure: bad movies do. Please, believe me.

This made-for-TV horror/ghost story is suspenseful, somber, sometimes slow and at times far from believability. THE HAUNTED is partially based on a book by Jack Smurl and eyewitness testimony. In the mid-1980s, a Pittston, Pennsylavania family...the Smurls...start noticing things are just not right with their home. Not really believing in spirits, Janet Smurl(Sally Kirkland)is forced to realize and has a hard time convincing her husband Jack(Jeffrey DeMunn), until minions of Satan go to work slamming doors, smashing household items and bedeviling with imitation of family voices. Spooky and scary? Just a bit.The cast also features: Joyce Van Patten, Diane Baker, John Mallory Asher, William O'Connnell and Louise Latham.