Haunt (2013)

Haunt: Directed by Mac Carter. With Harrison Gilbertson, Liana Liberato, Jacki Weaver, Ione Skye. An introvert teen befriends his new neighbor, and together the couple begin to explore the haunted house that his family has just purchased.

“u0026quot;Hauntu0026quot; is about the house where the Morello family lived. Dr. Janet Morello (Jacki Weaver) was a pediatrician. When they moved in though, their three teenage kids all suffer terrible unexpected deaths. Later, even her husband Franklin also fell dead. Ordinarily, a house with such a creepy history would have been left for abandonment already. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eHowever, how could there be a horror movie if there was no foolhardy family who was still brave or desperate enough to live in that house despite its sinister past? Enter the Asher family, a couple who happened to also have three teenage kids, exactly like those of the Morellos. It did not take long though that strange things begin to happen to the new tenants.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe focus of this story was the middle boy, 18 year-old Evan (Harrison Gilbertson). One night, he met a pretty but mysterious girl Sam (Liana Liberato) whom he saw crying in the woods outside their house. The two became closer as they try to communicate with the spirits living inside the house with an old microphone set. Of course, their interaction with the ghosts did not stop there.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe presence of two-time Oscar Best Supporting Actress nominee Jacki Weaver gives the cast some credibility. She has this very unusually distinct face whom you canu0026#39;t shake off once youu0026#39;ve seen it. The young lead cast, Gilbertson and Liberato, also did very well despite the offbeat love story they were made to portray. The girl Liana Liberato should really get a better break already than small films like this. She has some acting chops as she had already shown years back in the harrowing child molestation drama u0026quot;Trustu0026quot;. 1980s film fans may also recognize Ione Skye of u0026quot;Riveru0026#39;s Edgeu0026quot; and u0026quot;Say Anythingu0026quot; fame. She plays Mrs. Asher here, though she was not really made to do too much.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI really liked the way this movie started. It boasts of excellent cinematography and imaginative special effects. The sets and the pace of story-telling was tense and creepy. As the story was reaching its climax though, it simply gave up and went nowhere. The back story given for the events were terribly plain, no thrill about it. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOverall, this film was a big disappointment. While the opening sequences promised another excellent haunted house movie, the ending scenes were simply mediocre, an appalling waste of potential and talented cast. 4/10.”