BIFFF - An American Haunting

So, opening night of the film festival today. Got there at about 19.30 and there were already loads of people and it filled up quickly. As every year, there was a theatre group to entertain people while waiting, this year it was dancers on stilts dressed up as insects. Trust me, it wasn't as bad as it sounds.

Again, as they do every year, the opening film was a little more commercial than the rest of the program. This year they opened with An American Haunting by Courtney Solomon who was there to present the film along with the lead actress Rachel Hurd-Wood. I will refrain from commenting about the lovely Miss Hurd-Wood as I've just found out she's only just turned 16 and such thoughts could get me into trouble. Let's say she's going to grow up to be a stunning woman.

The film also stars Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek and is about the early 19th century Bell Witch haunting in rural Tennessee. Sutherland plays John Bell who lives with his wife and family on a farm and when the story begins he is found in breach of church law for having lent money to a local woman at an extortionate interest rate. The woman then curses John and his daughter Betsy, played by Hurd-Wood. Shortly afterwards Betsy starts to get attacked at night by an invisible entity and the attacks continue to get more and more ferocious.

It's been a while since there was a good American ghost/haunted house story and unfortunately this is not going to change things. It's not a bad film but it's also not great and nothing can be worse than being mediocre. Sutherland is always good value but like everybody else in the film he does not have much to work with. Spacek suffers the worst as all she really does is look worried in the background. Hurd-Wood is very pretty and all that but doesn't give much soul to her part as the daughter tormented by the entity. The attacks themselves and some of the other spooky goings on are quite well played, a sequence where the entity tracks down Betsy as her family try to get her away from the house is a particular stand out.

The end is not bad, although I wish directors would credit their audiences with at least a little bit of intelligence. There's one flashback which explains why things have been happening and it's quite well handled and fits in with one of the most popular and plausible theories regarding poltergeist activity, but then Solomon goes and gives us a second flash-back just in case we didn't get it the first time. There's also a short modern day frame around the start and the end of the film that doesn't serve much purpose apart from set up a rather lame 'twist' that you can see coming a mile off.

Hmm, that makes it all sound very negative but as I said it's not a bad film, just not very good either. I think there is a good stoty to be told about the Bell Witch but it's going to have to be one that has a bit morte character development and more of a sense of place than this.

Tomorrow should be better as things get properly underway with the fabulous The Descent followed by a Q&A with the director Neil Marshall and Saskia Mulder one of the actresses from the film. I can't wait to see it on a big screen with an audience as it really is excellent. That will then be followed by a midnight showing of Evil Aliens which should be fun.

So, until then, goodnight.