Straight-to-TV, inspired by true events hokum… well that's what I thought I was getting myself into. However this dramatised case is a surprisingly eerie, bizarre and downplayed supernatural case that can get under our skin because the actual performances (the Smurls family) are sympathetically portrayed. The normal plot mechanics of the haunted house sub-genre are evident, and the atmosphere isn't particularly striking as it hangs there. You might think that if you see one, you've seen them all. But the predictable material does get more compelling further down the track, before coming to an unfulfilled abrupt conclusion that wraps it up. Everything (from the performances to the script) is done straight-face, with very little in the way of hysteria and humour. Patchy, but it works for most part. It heavily relies on story and mood, than say big special effects and lashing thrills. Although there's something just spooky about those reappearing spirit manifestations. Sally Kirkland and Jeffery DeMunn are capably good in the lead roles of Janet and Jack Smurl. Robert Mandel's crisply well-judged direction and Richard Bellis' hovering score added to the above-average production. I see plenty of jabs about the slow, ponderous pace, but I didn't feel it was that sluggish. Far from it. Slow, but not dull.

This made-for-TV horror/ghost story is suspenseful, somber, sometimes slow and at times far from believability. THE HAUNTED is partially based on a book by Jack Smurl and eyewitness testimony. In the mid-1980s, a Pittston, Pennsylavania family...the Smurls...start noticing things are just not right with their home. Not really believing in spirits, Janet Smurl(Sally Kirkland)is forced to realize and has a hard time convincing her husband Jack(Jeffrey DeMunn), until minions of Satan go to work slamming doors, smashing household items and bedeviling with imitation of family voices. Spooky and scary? Just a bit.The cast also features: Joyce Van Patten, Diane Baker, John Mallory Asher, William O'Connnell and Louise Latham.

It's sad that this movie was doomed by a made-for-TV budget which apparently kept it from being shot on location in Pennsylvania. A California craftsman home and L.A.'s distinctly painted curbs add a note of inauthenticity to this story. Unfortunately not the only such note.The opening is intriguing. When Janet Smurl hears her mother's voice calling, and realizes that it's a disembodied voice, we're off to a chilling start. An array of creepy phenomena draws us into the story, but soon it bogs down in a plodding script, made slower by boring fades and unnecessary time-date stamps.The performances are all good, but the characterizations are marred by cheesy teased and sprayed hairstyles. No matter how intense the action, not a hair flops out of place or absorbs a drop of sweat. Every character, male or female, has mannequin hair.When the supposedly Catholic family begins singing "Amazing Grace" to ward off the evil, it's borderline laughable. Later, the hymn "Ave Maria" is used, much more appropriate and to better effect.The last half is where things really fall apart. The narrative breaks down into clumsily constructed, poorly paced episodes. Characters come and go, without much story progression or dramatic build-up. Ironically, this film probably worked better with commercials breaking it up.Most surprising about this movie is that the cinematography was nominated for a Golden Globe. It's generally uninteresting, with awkward group shots and flat lighting which fails to disguise the cheesier effects. As in the kitchen drawers flying in and out scene. A badly executed steal from The Exorcist.The best scene is undoubtedly the succubus scene. It's nicely set up and perfectly cast and made-up. It just makes you wish the director had more time or energy to rock the rest of this movie. And that he had a better script to work with.

haven't seen this one for a while but unlike tons of other films this one remains quite vivid in my head. it's tense with well developed characters, creative and most importantly, effective! saw this when i was about ten and it blew my mind. the whispering pillows, the grandmothers voice coming from the basement. chilling stuff. a few bits might be a little hokey to some people but i remember being pretty disturbed by the "ghost rape". it just came out'a nowhere. also, i thought the apparitions were chilling as well. i remember the "black spot" didn't do much for me then so i know now that it is probably quite lame. but otherwise this flick is just dead on and a lot of fun. oh yeah, and i can't forget that part when they pull up to the house and flames are blazing inside and those screams! if you like a damn good ghost story then check this out if you can. no "official" DVD release yet but i guess it is shown on cable occasionally. have to keep our fingers crossed for the DVD i guess.