Donald Sutherland: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked
3. John Bell Sr. - An American Haunting (2006)
An American Haunting just isn't scary. Billed as a horror film based on a true story (we all know how vague that usually turns out to be), the story follows a modern day mother's discovery of an old binder of correspondence by a previous owner of her 19th century house. What follows is a 90-minute tale of child abuse disguised as one of supernatural hauntings. Sutherland plays John Bell Sr., a man who believes his family has been cursed by a witch after a dispute over land. With his daughter suddenly starting to witness strange events, Bell truly believes a curse has been placed upon his family. While the revelation that the supposed supernatural force isn't evil - it's trying to compel Bell's daughter to remember her father's sexual abuse of her as a youngster - is a plot device that at least tries to be different from other horror films, none of the events really ever come across as even remotely unsettling. Sutherland isn't the only actor in the film to blame, but he's certainly not exempt from the fact that none of the performances in the film feel particularly authentic, and several scenes that feature strange occurrences that should evoke an emotional response just simply fall flat due to some slightly hammy acting. Not a great choice for Sutherland, that's for sure.
Joe is a freelance games journalist who, while not spending every waking minute selling himself to websites around the world, spends his free time writing. Most of it makes no sense, but when it does, he treats each article as if it were his Magnum Opus - with varying results.
