What makes it different from others?

Instant Favorite.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

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.

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.

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.

This is an excellent movie!!! It is kind of cheesy, but it really is a good movie and i really wish that this would be put on VHS and DVD. It is a made for TV Movie, made in 1991. It is about a family who is haunted by three ghost i believe and one demon, been a while since I've seen it. It may come on during Halloween, if so i hope to at least record this movie. it is freakishly scary. not sure if this is a true story, but what i've been through, it is real close. it may seem like a cheaply made movie, but if you watch it you are going to most likely like it. It is spooky and i do not spook easy. If you get the chance give it a chance. If someone knows of it being sold or has a copy please contact me. Thanks...!!! I hope a network shows this movie soon. i think I watched it on the Sci Fi channel and i will be getting in touch with them soon.