Director: Courtney Solomon
Stars: Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek, Rachel Hurd-Wood (Full Cast)
Studio: Freestyle Releasing LLC

The Plot: During the early part of the 19th century, in Red River, Tennessee, the Bell family is tormented by a spirit that promises to kill one of the family members.

Review by Gregg Kilday

Horror movies are bloodier than ever. Witness last weekend's successful release of the brutal "Saw II," which Lions Gate opened to a resounding $39 million.

"An American Haunting," which has its world premiere Saturday night at AFI Fest 2005, takes a different tack, though. It isn't without a spot or two of blood. But the things-that-go-bump-in-the-night tale of a ghost who terrorizes an early 19th century family in rural Tennessee forgoes the current vogue for more and more explicit shocks in favor of psychological surprises that have the potential of being more upsetting even if they are not quite as explicit. more..
 

Review by JoBlo.com

As soon as I saw the trailers for AN AMERICAN HAUNTING (a flick based on the sole validated “death by ghost” case in US History) I was hooked like Michael Douglas at a sedated nudist colony. Props to whoever cut the trailers as they totally emphasized the terrifying nature of this picture. Now that I’ve seen the film, yes it semi lived up to my expectations but something hefty was missing. more.. 

Review by  Andy Gibbons

Movies about malevolent spirits and trouble some Poltergeist certainly aren‘t anything new but seldom are these kind of films set in anything but the modern day. However this chilling offering from director Courtney Solomon ("Dungeons & Dragons") takes us back to Red River, Tennessee in 1818 where something strange is happening in the house of recently disgraced local John Bell (Donald Sutherland). Odd noises in the attic are the precursor to a series of terrifying and unexplainable attacks which take place on John‘s teenage daughter Betsy (Rachel Hurd–Wood). The haunting continues and the entire town are at a loss for an explanation although many suspect John‘s neighbour – and suspected witch – Kate Batts of cursing the family after a land dispute. But little do they know that the real reason behind the events is of a more personal nature. more..