The Bell Witch Haunting is an infamous paranormal event that took place in the early 19th century in Adams, Tennessee. It is one of the most well-known cases of paranormal activity in American history. The haunting is said to have lasted from 1817 until 1821 and revolved around the haunting of the Bell family by an entity known as the Bell Witch. The entity reportedly tormented the family with physical violence, psychological manipulation, and even the ability to speak and communicate with them. **Intrigued by the tales of the Bell Witch, numerous individuals have attempted to spy on the haunting and gather evidence of the paranormal activity.** However, the nature of the haunting made it difficult to capture any concrete evidence.
In April, the mystery of the creature would be solved, for the most part: An article published April 12, 1912, in The Times Daily reported "Wild Varmint Killed."
It is also a film where the need to swing plot points gets in the way of credibility I can buy that an electrical repairman might want to do a selfie How To film to upload to YouTube as a promotional gimmick but would someone really edit, post-produce and upload footage that showed the electrician being killed as the on-screen site credits indicate it has. Not to be confused with a 2004 movie bearing the same name, 2013 s The Bell Witch Haunting is a found footage horror film that hitches its wagon to the real-life legend of a Tennessee ghost that plagued farmer John Bell and his family in the nineteenth century.
** However, the nature of the haunting made it difficult to capture any concrete evidence. Many who attempted to spy on the Bell Witch experienced strange phenomena themselves, leading to a sense of fear and unease among the observers. One famous individual who tried to spy on the Bell Witch was Andrew Jackson, who later became the seventh President of the United States.
The Bell Witch Haunting (2013)
All Uncredited:-
Director – Glenn Miller, Producers – Paul Bales, David Michael Latt & David Rimawi, Photography – Bryan Koss, Makeup Effects – Tracy Rosen. Production Company – The Asylum.
Cast
Cat Alter (Dana Sawyer), Andrew Hellenthal (Brandon Sawyer), Ted Jonas (Michael Sawyer), Julia Cearley (Janette Sawyer), Benjamin James (Colby), Natalie Burtney (Lisa), M. Steven Petty (Priest), Drew Cash (Scott), James Simenc (Chris), Desi Ivanova (Kristi)
Plot
Video footage taken from police evidence. The Sawyer family moved into a new house in Adams County, Tennessee in January 2011. The teenage son Brandon received a video camera for his birthday and began filming everything that happened. He soon began to record a series of increasingly supernatural happenings occurring around the house. The bodies of the daughter Dana’s friends were then found hung in the nearby woods. As the force began increasingly tormenting them and killing others, Brandon made the discovery that the house was situated on the site of the famous Bell Witch haunting in the 19th Century.
The Found Footage ghost story became a genre unto itself after the success of Paranormal Activity (2007) and sequels. This produced a horde of usually low-budget imitators such as Lake Mungo (2008), Haunted Changi (2010), Emergo/Apartment 143 (2011), Grave Encounters (2011), Haunted Poland (2011), 7 Nights of Darkness (2011), Muirhouse (2012), The Borderlands (2013) and 21 Days (2014). The Asylum, a company known for their habit of ripping off other people’s ideas and titles, jumped in with the idea of setting a ghost story on the site of a famous murder or haunted house with The Haunting of Winchester House (2009) and continued with Gacy House (2010), Anneliese: The Exorcist Tapes (2011), The Amityville Haunting (2011), A Haunting in Salem (2011), The Haunting of Whaley House (2012) and 100 Ghost Street: The Return of Richard Speck (2012).
The Bell Witch Haunting was a supposedly true incident that occurred between 1817 and 1821 where the Bell family of Adams, Tennessee claim to have been terrorised by a supernatural force. The spirit assaulted the teenage Betsy and struck down the father John Bell with palsy and possibly poisoned him. The Bell family believed this was a curse conjured by local woman Kathe Betts who fell out with John and had him excommunicated from the local church. Later-to-be US President Andrew Jackson supposedly tried to visit the Bell farm and was driven away by the spirit. There have been three films based on the legend with the low-budget The Bell Witch Haunting (2004) and Bell Witch: The Movie (2007), with the most high-profile of these being Courtney Solomon’s An American Haunting (2005).
The Found Footage ghost story (and genre as a whole) has so few original moves to it that most of them have been reduced to cliche within the space of less than a handful of films. By the time of The Bell Witch Haunting , these are starting to seem tiresome in their predictability. A great many of the directorial set-ups here are blatantly borrowed from Paranormal Activity and sequels – the infra-red cameras watching in the bedrooms as people sleep, ones mounted in the dining room and kitchen observing as things randomly fall over or doors shut of their own accord.
James Simenc attacked in the woods
The basic plot of the family moving into the new house, which they then find to be haunted, has been uplifted from The Amityville Horror (1979) – we even get scenes where the father (Ted Jonas) becomes infected by ichor and turns brooding. It is also a film where the need to swing plot points gets in the way of credibility – I can buy that an electrical repairman might want to do a selfie How To film to upload to YouTube as a promotional gimmick but would someone really edit, post-produce and upload footage that showed the electrician being killed (as the on-screen site credits indicate it has)?
Glenn Miller, who as is wont with most Found Footage films, is uncredited. Miller has been a regular Asylum assistant director who subsequently went on to direct The Coed and the Zombie Stoner (2014), Santa Claws (2014), Zoombies (2016) and Aquarium of the Dead (2021). Very occasionally Miller does something that stimulates attention. One of the more interesting images is an infra-red shot where a sheet is levitated from two sleeping girls and then brought down, pinning them to the bed and suffocating them.
The film also gets one mild jolt off where James Simenc goes into the woods to pay tribute to his killed friend only to be abruptly snatched up into the air by a blurred force and his dead body tossed back seconds later. The last section of the film with the attempt to exorcise the house and much running around the woods with possessed people and handheld camera travels into tiresomely cliche areas by which point one switches off altogether.
5.22 GB (1080p HD)
2.74 GB (720p HD)
1.54 GB (SD)
Jackson was initially skeptical of the haunting but decided to visit the Bell family after hearing about the strange occurrences. During his visit, Jackson and his men reportedly became entangled in a series of bizarre events, including objects moving on their own, bedshaking, and disembodied voices. According to legend, Jackson remarked that he would rather face an army of British soldiers than spend another night in the Bell house. Despite the lack of concrete evidence, the Bell Witch Haunting continues to captivate the public's imagination. Many books, movies, and documentaries have been dedicated to the subject, further fueling the curiosity surrounding the events. The efforts to spy on the Bell Witch serve as a testament to the enduring mystery of the haunting and the human fascination with the unknown. While we may never truly understand the nature of the Bell Witch, its presence in history remains a haunting enigma..
Reviews for "Ghostly Encounters: The Bell Witch Haunting Unveiled"
1. Karen - 1 star - I was really disappointed with "Spy on the bell witch haunting". The storyline was all over the place and didn't make much sense. The acting was also subpar, with many of the characters delivering their lines without any emotion. Furthermore, the special effects were poorly executed and looked cheap. Overall, I found it to be a waste of time and money. I do not recommend watching this movie.
2. Mike - 2 stars - I had high hopes for "Spy on the bell witch haunting" but unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. The movie lacked a coherent plot and seemed to jump from one scene to another without any clear direction. The acting was mediocre at best, and the dialogue felt forced and unnatural. The scares were predictable and lacked suspense. I wouldn't classify this movie as a horror film, as it failed to deliver any genuine scares or chills. I would advise skipping this one and opting for a different horror movie instead.
3. Sarah - 1 star - "Spy on the bell witch haunting" was a major disappointment. The storyline was weak and predictable, leaving no room for surprises or suspense. The acting was wooden, and I struggled to connect with any of the characters. The attempt at horror fell flat, with poorly executed jump scares that did nothing to evoke fear. Overall, this movie was a letdown, and I would not recommend wasting your time on it. There are far better horror movies out there that offer much more in terms of plot, performances, and scares.