The Haunted is a dramatization of the true story of Jack and Janet Smurl, a Pennsylvania couple who were plagued by supernatural forces for over 10 years while living in a haunted house.
Nearly all of the dates mentioned in the film do not correspond to the dates in other documents about the case. Whether you believe their ordeal or not, (It is well-documented that at no time did the family ever call the police in all of the years that they lived there, and the paranormal investigators, The Warrens who bring themselves into the story, will find something paranormal about everything they investigate, even when cases that others have investigated have been proved to be hoaxes.)
In any event, the movie starts out well with some good chilling scare scenes and strong dramatic effects. The acting seems to be above average. The alternate versions list some scenes that were supposedly in the original 1991 TV airing, but I saw the film on its original broadcast, and do not recall these scenes. However, these additional scenes are mentioned in other documents about the case.
The film falls apart about the time that Mr. Smurl is attacked by a demon, who takes the form of his oldest daughter! This is a little too unbelievable for my tastes. Soon thereafter, the viewer is treated to several religious chants and singing from some group called "The Sacred Heart." This is where the film turns into a complete mess! The scares and chills of a little more than the first hour into the film turn into a campy, "Pray a lot and do some signing, and the big bad demons will go away." Such an instance to this reviewer, suggests that the film makers ran out of good material and needed something campy to stretch the film another 40 minutes. While the last third of the film is not totally unbearable, it brings down the rating of an otherwise decent production, that with a better climax would yield a higher rating.
Nearly all of the dates mentioned in the film do not correspond to the dates in other documents about the case. Whether you believe their ordeal or not, (It is well-documented that at no time did the family ever call the police in all of the years that they lived there, and the paranormal investigators, The Warrens who bring themselves into the story, will find something paranormal about everything they investigate, even when cases that others have investigated have been proved to be hoaxes.)
In any event, the movie starts out well with some good chilling scare scenes and strong dramatic effects. The acting seems to be above average. The alternate versions list some scenes that were supposedly in the original 1991 TV airing, but I saw the film on its original broadcast, and do not recall these scenes. However, these additional scenes are mentioned in other documents about the case.
The film falls apart about the time that Mr. Smurl is attacked by a demon, who takes the form of his oldest daughter! This is a little too unbelievable for my tastes. Soon thereafter, the viewer is treated to several religious chants and singing from some group called "The Sacred Heart." This is where the film turns into a complete mess! The scares and chills of a little more than the first hour into the film turn into a campy, "Pray a lot and do some signing, and the big bad demons will go away." Such an instance to this reviewer, suggests that the film makers ran out of good material and needed something campy to stretch the film another 40 minutes. While the last third of the film is not totally unbearable, it brings down the rating of an otherwise decent production, that with a better climax would yield a higher rating.