Saturday, June 21, 2014

Post Mortem: Haunt

     A movie that promises a romp through ten romance and the discovery of the afterlife turns into a nightmarish terror-time with Haunt. Made in 2013 with Andrew Barrer's screenplay, and directed by Mac Carter, this movie is about a family of five that moves into a house that carries a dark curse. "The Morrello Curse" as the people of town call it. The oldest boy, Evan (Harrison Gilbertson) moves into the attic and, after taking a midnight stroll, comes upon Sam (Liana Liberato), who is the victim of familial abuse from her drunken father. She sleeps over, the two begin a young love, and Sam pulls out from a secret room a box that is part Ouiji Board part Ham Radio.
     They contact the dead and learn of the existence of the ghosts within the house, one of which is incredibly aggressive. This female ghost possesses people and then forces them to commit suicide or murder, thus creating more ghosts.
     The acting stands out for what this movie is, and what it could have been, marking it as something different among the direct-to-DVD crowd. The pacing is great and the writing was solid, with actors placed in roles that they seemed meant for. I can honestly say that this movie was good, but not great. The suspense was there and they built on it, but the climax was like a teenage boys first time - bursty and quick. The exposition could have used a little tinkering as well, moving it to where the teens could have learned the secret without the rather "meh" ending.

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