Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Tayloriona Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Raymond Sierra The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Platypuschow Whenever I see "The haunting of" I assume the worst, in fact who am I kidding? When I see that a movie is ghost themed I generally do. As much as I love horror that sub-genre rarely delivers and is commonly an area taken by independent film makers.This is a disastrous little haunting movie that tells the story of a frustrated girl stricken with blindness who is left an enormous manor in her late aunts will.I'd continue, but honestly the plot is an absolute mess and isn't one I'd like to even have a go at explaining.So we've established that the plot is dire, now how about the cinematography? the soundtrack? the cast? Honestly no boxes are ticked here, everything is embarassing.And then we have the religious angle. Our heroine is frustrated and angry that she is now blind and her faith is left shaken. How can she possibly believe in a magical cloud man who impregnated a woman with himelf after creating a world full of talking snakes unicorns and giants......who would make her blind? Seriously? The only thing that could have made this worse is if it had been found footage, thank Odin for small graces.The Good:Not so muchThe Bad:Looks like a daytime US soap operaSeven shades of awful on every frontThings I Learnt From This Movie:I need to filter out all movies that begin with "The Haunting of"

Nigel P This low-budget project features Brianne Davis as feisty Jill, who gives her obnoxious lawyer short shrift when he attempts to patronise her when revealing the contents of his recently deceased aunt's will. Jill is blind and is still coming to terms with people's reactions to her. A possible stroke of good fortune comes about when it is revealed her estranged aunt has left her home – a spooky old mansion.I mention the low-budget production values because this can put some viewers off. I bore people rigid by saying that independent films are only constrained by their lack of finance, and better that than to have the project diluted by the creativity-sapping, restraint-soaked wishes of more mainstream organisations. And yet it is true. If you want spectacular stunts and humanity-stripping CGI, this won't be for you.If you wish to look beyond superfluous production gimmickry, there is much to enjoy here. Writer/director David Sapp makes the most of his locations and particularly the Manor itself. The three main players Davis, Ken Luckey and Christine Woods (as Jill's two good friends Rob and Erika) are terrific naturalistic and unaffected performers. Above all, their friendship is real and we can relate to them as people. When Jill starts seeing apparitions, she optimistically believes her eyesight may be returning.The pace doesn't pick up, but neither does it falter and there are a few decent scares. The most effective for me concerns Jill's audio diaries – when playing back her latest entry, there are other noises in the background. Of course, people being people, an element of distrust grows amongst Rob and Erika, and for a time it is entirely possible (though unlikely) that one of them is deliberately trying to unnerve poor Jill.The end is satisfying. And no, Jill does not magically recover her sight. She does, however, become more accustomed to her situation. Ultimately, 'Marsten Manor' is a decent chiller and well worth your time.

randburgoyne The Haunting of Marsten Manor is a great Halloween movie for all ages. Great story-line, scary special effects, believable characters. There's a mystery to that old house and the ghost of Kate Marsten tries to reveal the secret. In the process she helps a young girl, Jill, learn about her connections to her ancestors and how to deal with her own handicap. I would have rated it 10 but sometimes the dialog lags and slows the story - but that's only because we are more keen on fast moving TV shows. This has become a classic in our DVD library!RB

ajtroemn The acting was extremely wooden, with the female lead using her disability as an excuse to stand perfectly still and not act. The male lead's only memorable line out of the entire movie is "What?" (repeated often), coming up only second to his memorable portrayal of the line "Huh?"The stage dressing was also extremely odd, with rooms in the same house having wildly different furnishings, from extremely ornate with hardwood floors in one room to cheap carpeting and blinds in the next. Lighting was also terrible, as it looks like they tried shooting some shots in an actual house, and blue-tinted day to look like night.With that said, both my wife and I love to watch terrible movies to point out how awful it is, and this movie did not disappoint. Will recommend to internet movie reviewers for many lulz.