ThiefHott Too much of everything

LouHomey From my favorite movies..

Ella-May O'Brien Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Candida It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

OllieSuave-007 This was a nicely-done TV movie about a family whom, after moving into a duplex, experiences terrifying paranormal activities. While ghost movies featuring haunted houses are a dime a dozen, this TV movie actually captures the tension and suspense that steadily built up to terrifying thrills as the movie progresses - from the female lead being the only one hearing noises to the entire family experiencing Poltergeist-like events. The movie also uniquely touches different aspects surrounding the paranormal experience, from psychology to faith, and from the annoying press to full-fledged exorcism. Overall, a well done TV movie with decent acting.Grade A

stevielennon5 As a lover of TV movies and supernatural drama I was hoping for the best with this film.But it must rank as one of the lamest cheapest and just plain stupidest movies ever made.. The script was appalling and Diane Baker,(a fine actress),must surely be embarrassed by allowing herself to get involved in such nonsense. The parents were clearly a pair of compulsive liars who needlessly and nastily scared the life out of their children, to make a few bucks from their book. Janet Smurf comes across as a chain smoking mental case.And whats with all the praying when if anything it appeared more like the work of a poltergeist?.They even mention it getting it's power from the girls some of whom are entering puberty.I'm not sure whether it was the film or the actual family who were getting confused from all the hysteria and deceit. I gave the film a 2. But if you view it as a comedy it deserves an 8!!..

jbartelone 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.

Neil Doyle Not only is this a weak haunted house story (although based on a true life story), but the acting and direction is downright foolish and unconvincing. The special effects are possibly the worst feature of all, with the demons completely lacking any sort of evil presence and simply shapeless blobs.You have to wonder how someone like DIANE BAKER got talked into doing this turkey. She's just one of a series of people who try to rid the house of demons at the request of homeowners JEFFREY DeMUNN and SALLY KIRKLAND. Kirkland's awkward handling of cigarettes, together with her over-the-top performance, is distracting, to say the least. Of all the adults in the cast, DeMunn is the most competent.But nothing happens that hasn't been featured in a dozen other stories about haunted houses in normal looking neighborhoods. This shows its made-for-TV origins in every scene and compares unfavorably to many other stories told on any number of cable stations dealing with real tales of haunted homes.Not recommended--nor does it have a satisfying ending--merely a message on the screen that a few years later a better exorcism was sanctioned by the Catholic Church and this time it was successful.