Der Fluch der Betsy Bell (2005)

Der Fluch der Betsy Bell: Directed by Courtney Solomon. With Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek, James D’Arcy, Rachel Hurd-Wood. Based on the true events of the only case in US History where a spirit caused the death of a man.

“Whatever possesses the demon in u0026quot;An American Hauntingu0026quot; to ruin the lives of the Bell family is never made clear. Nor are we ever sure that it was the curse put upon the family by a woman who felt cheated by the father in a land dispute. And why all the attention is put on the girl (RACHEL HURD-WOOD) instead of the father (DONALD SUTHERLAND) is another factor never really explained. Heu0026#39;s the one the entity really wanted to destroy but heu0026#39;s not the first target. Heu0026#39;s excellent in a rather underwritten role that makes him an ambiguous figure.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWith all of these reservations aside, the film is beautifully filmed and despite being shot on location in Rumania has an American Gothic look that is appropriate for the story. The acting is uniformly good. SISSY SPACEK excels as the worried mother who sees how tormented her daughter is by the demon. JAMES Du0026#39;ARCY is interesting as the teacher who has a hard time realizing there is a real haunting going on, his disbelief being another factor hard to rationalize. THOM FELL is fine as the stalwart son anxious to protect his sister.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnd for a story about things that go bump in the night, it has plenty of chilling moments for lovers of films of this genre. And yet, despite all of the good elements–the settings, the photography, the fine performances–it never manages to be completely convincing, especially as it tries to explain things toward the end. The book-ending that frames the story with an opening and closing in present time seems an unnecessary touch.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAt times, itu0026#39;s so overdone that itu0026#39;s hard to believe itu0026#39;s based on a true story. Iu0026#39;m sure thereu0026#39;s some truth at the core, but surely the writers embellished the tale with a lot of manufactured dream elements reminiscent of the u0026quot;Nightmare on Elm Streetu0026quot; variety, letting their imaginations run wild with menacing wolves and the howling wind.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eA project that could have been so much better if it just concentrated on the real ghost story at the center of the tale.”