Jack and Janet Smurl move with their four daughters into one half of a duplex, and Jack's parents move into the other half. Almost immediately, the two families are plagued by disturbances. Janet hears voices in the basement, and both she and Mary see a black, cyclone-like apparition moving through the walls. The men at first are disinclined to believe their wives, so Janet goes looking for answers on her own. She discovers that their neighborhood was built atop a collapsed mineshaft and that evidence of Satanic activity was unearthed as well. When Jack is violently attacked by a female demon, the family seeks help within the church and then from the Warren's, a husband and wife parapsychologist team.
Based on the true story of the Smurl family, The Haunted is a better-than- average made for TV ghost movie, perhaps one of the best I've yet seen. The performances are truly terrific, particularly from Jeffrey DeMunn as Jack, a man who is alternatively skeptical and terrified but always devoted to his family. Sally Kirkland is perfect as the harassed and strung out Janet who is desperately trying to hold her family and her sanity together. There's no gore or cheap scares to be found here; this is a story of a frightened family trying to find help and ultimately realizing that the only way to battle the ghostly invaders is to remain a close and loving family.
Despite the fact that this is made for TV, it's pretty damn spooky. The black cyclone is creepy as hell and the ghosts, when they appear, are all the more frightening because they look so normal. This film never falls back on cheap scare tactics or rotting boogeymen in closets; it looks real and seems very possible, which is what makes it so scary. I remember seeing this on TV when it premiered in 1991 and it gave me nightmares for several nights afterward.
Definitely worth seeing.
Based on the true story of the Smurl family, The Haunted is a better-than- average made for TV ghost movie, perhaps one of the best I've yet seen. The performances are truly terrific, particularly from Jeffrey DeMunn as Jack, a man who is alternatively skeptical and terrified but always devoted to his family. Sally Kirkland is perfect as the harassed and strung out Janet who is desperately trying to hold her family and her sanity together. There's no gore or cheap scares to be found here; this is a story of a frightened family trying to find help and ultimately realizing that the only way to battle the ghostly invaders is to remain a close and loving family.
Despite the fact that this is made for TV, it's pretty damn spooky. The black cyclone is creepy as hell and the ghosts, when they appear, are all the more frightening because they look so normal. This film never falls back on cheap scare tactics or rotting boogeymen in closets; it looks real and seems very possible, which is what makes it so scary. I remember seeing this on TV when it premiered in 1991 and it gave me nightmares for several nights afterward.
Definitely worth seeing.