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{{Infobox film
| name           = An American Haunting
| image          = An American Haunting.jpg
| alt            =
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Courtney Solomon]]
| producer       = {{Plainlist|
* Courtney Solomon
* [[Christopher Milburn]]
* André Rouleau
}}
| screenplay     = Courtney Solomon
| based_on       = {{based on|''The Bell Witch: An American Haunting''|Brent Monahan}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Donald Sutherland]]
* [[Sissy Spacek]]
* [[James D'Arcy]]
* [[Rachel Hurd-Wood]]
}}
| music          = [[Justin Burnett|Caine Davidson]]
| cinematography = [[Adrian Biddle]]
| editing        = [[Richard Comeau]]
| studio         = {{Plainlist|
* [[After Dark Films]]
* [[Remstar|Remstar Productions]]
* [[MediaPro Studios]]
}}
| distributor    = {{Plainlist|
* [[Redbus Film Distribution]] (United Kingdom)
* [[Cineplex Odeon Films|Odeon Films]] (Canada)
* [[Freestyle Releasing]] (United States)
}}
| released       = {{Film date|2005|11|05|[[AFI Film Festival]]|2006|04|14|United Kingdom|2006|05|05|United States}}
| runtime        = {{unbulleted list|90 minutes (United Kingdom)<ref name=BBFC>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/an-american-haunting-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc00mdcxndi|work=[[British Board of Film Classification]]|title=An American Haunting|archive-url=https://archive.today/20251015041728/https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/an-american-haunting-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc00mdcxndi|archive-date=October 15, 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>|83 minutes (United States)<ref name=Lee/>}}
| country        = {{Plainlist|
* United Kingdom<ref name=AFI>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/63696|work=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]]|publisher=[[American Film Institute]]|title=An American Haunting|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20251015025553/https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/63696|archive-date=October 15, 2025}}</ref>
* Canada<ref name=AFI/>
* Romania<ref name=AFI/>
* United States<ref name=AFI/>
}}
| language       = English
| budget         = $14 million<ref name=BOM/>
| gross          = $29.6 million<ref name=BOM>{{cite web |url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=americanhaunting.htm |title=An American Haunting (2006) |work=[[Box Office Mojo]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120527060353/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=americanhaunting.htm|archive-date=May 27, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}
'''''An American Haunting''''' is a 2005 [[Historical drama|historical]] [[supernatural horror film]] written and directed by [[Courtney Solomon]] and starring [[Donald Sutherland]], [[Sissy Spacek]], [[James D'Arcy]], and [[Rachel Hurd-Wood]]. It is based on the novel ''The Bell Witch: An American Haunting'' (1995) by Brent Monahan. The events in the novel are loosely based on the legend of the [[Bell Witch]], who allegedly haunted the Bell family in rural 1810s [[Tennessee]]. The film documents the Bell family's supernatural experiences, which are paralleled with a contemporary 21st-century [[subplot]] involving a young girl plagued by similar events experienced by Betsy Bell.

An [[Co-production (media)|international co-production]] between the United Kingdom, Canada, Romania, and the United States,<ref name=AFI/> ''An American Haunting'' was filmed on location in Romania in the fall of 2004.

''An American Haunting'' was first previewed at the [[AFI Film Festival]] on November 5, 2005; it screened the same day at the [[San Sebastián International Film Festival]]'s "Fantasy and Horror Film Week." The film was released in the United Kingdom on April 14, 2006. [[Freestyle Releasing]] distributed the film theatrically in the United States on May 5, 2006 in an alternate cut from the version previously released. It received largely unfavorable reviews from film critics, though some did praise it for its performances and [[Historical drama|period]] details. The film grossed $29.6 million worldwide against a $14 million budget.<ref name=BOM/>

==Plot==
Teenager Jane runs through the forest and into her house to escape from an unseen threat. When she sees the [[Bell Witch]], a ghost that takes the form of a girl, she awakens with a scream. Her mother dismisses it as a dream and reminds her that this is her week to visit her father. Jane's mother goes to her desk and picks up a binder full of old letters, with a note from someone who claims to be an ancestor. The letters appear written in 19th-century script, detailing a family history:

In 1817 [[Tennessee]], John Bell is taken to church court and found guilty of the theft of a woman's land. The church releases him with the verdict that his loss of honor is sufficient punishment. The offended party, [[Kate Batts]], is infamous in the village due to claims of [[witchcraft]].

Strange events begin to occur and John believes that Batts [[curse]]d him. Betsy starts to look very sick and the [[haunted house|haunting]] worsens. Her young teacher, Richard Powell, notices the change in Betsy's behavior. The Bell family tells him they fear that the cause is paranormal. Powell attempts to prove that this is impossible because spirits don't exist. It is implied that Richard is in love with Betsy.

Richard stays in the Bell home to observe Betsy's behavior. His theory is proven wrong when he witnesses Betsy dangling in the air, as if someone is holding her up by her hair. Betsy is sexually assaulted by the spirit. John loses his sanity and sees many forms of the Bell Witch. John asks Kate Batts to kill him and remove her curse. She refuses and tells him that he cursed himself. John tries to kill himself, but the spirit stops him.

Betsy is struck with a revelation that the attacks on her and her father are caused by a supernatural being who was born out of her innocence. She needed to "remember" that the true cause of her pain is her father's [[child sexual abuse]] of her. Lucy, Betsy's mother, has the same revelation because she witnessed the [[sexual assault]], which she and Betsy repressed. Betsy poisons her now bed-ridden father with medicine while her mother watches. Betsy is then seen at her father's grave, and she is never haunted again.

In present day, the mother's daughter says her father has come to take her for their weekend stay. She sends her daughter to her ex-husband, who is waiting outside. Betsy's ghost suddenly appears and looks ominous. The mother realizes Betsy is trying to warn her that something is amiss between her daughter and her ex-husband.

She runs out of her house and catches a glimpse of her daughter's worried face peering out from the car window as it drives away; the implication is that the father is sexually abusing her. She runs after her ex-husband's car, frantically yelling his name.

==Cast==
{{Cast listing|
* [[Donald Sutherland]] as John Bell
* [[Sissy Spacek]] as Lucy Bell
* [[James D'Arcy]] as Richard Powell
* [[Rachel Hurd-Wood]] as Betsy Bell / Entity Voice
* [[Matthew Marsh (actor)|Matthew Marsh]] as James Johnston
* Thom Fell as John Bell, Jr.
* Zoe Thorne as Theny Thorn
* Gaye Brown as Kate Batts
* Sam Alexander as Joshua Gardner
* [[Miquel Brown]] as Chloe
* [[Shauna Shim]] as Anky
* Roger Greenslade as Conteen
* Marthyn Huges as Julong
* Isabelle Almgren-Doré as Jane
}}

==Production==
===Screenplay===
The screenplay for ''An American Haunting'' was adapted by director [[Courtney Solomon]] from Brent Monahan's novel ''The Bell Witch: An American Haunting'' (1995), which documents the alleged [[Bell Witch]] haunting experienced by the Bell family in rural 1810s [[Tennessee]].<ref name=TimeOut/> Like Monahan's novel, the screenplay suggests that the supernatural occurrences experienced by the Bell family manifested as [[poltergeist]] activity, unconsciously generated by the family's daughter, Betsy, whom Monahan infers was being [[Child sexual abuse|sexually abused]] by her father.<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]|url=https://slate.com/culture/2006/05/the-silly-lies-of-an-american-haunting.html?pay=1760506833551&support_journalism=please|title=Little Ghost on the Prairie|date=May 4, 2006|last=Hendrix|first=Grady|author-link=Grady Hendrix|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20251015054135/https://slate.com/culture/2006/05/the-silly-lies-of-an-american-haunting.html|archive-date=October 15, 2025}}</ref> Commenting on the screenplay, Solomon said: {{blockquote|There are certain aspects of the screenplay that do follow the original legend itself, which I felt was important to try to stay true to, because it’s historically documented, and there are many people that take it seriously. As far as the ending and what happens to Betsy Bell, that was something that was unique to the book and the author of the book, Brent Monahan. He had come up with that, and it was something that I felt was a believable cause—because essentially, it is an unsolved mystery.<ref name=Atlantis>{{cite web|work=Made in Atlantis|publisher=[[Freestyle Releasing]]|title=An American Haunting Production Notes|url=https://madeinatlantis.com/movies_central/2006/american_haunting.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20251015054303/https://madeinatlantis.com/movies_central/2006/american_haunting.htm|archive-date=October 15, 2025}}</ref>}}

===Casting===
{{multiple image|caption_align=center|header_align=center
 |align = right
 | width1 = 146
 | image1 = Rachel Hurd-Wood 2017 12 20.png
 | width2 = 103
 | image2 = Betsy.jpg
 | footer = [[Rachel Hurd-Wood]] (left) was cast in the role of Betsy Bell (right, 1894 illustration)
}}
Donald Sutherland was cast in the film as the family patriarch, John Bell.<ref name=Jacobs>{{cite web|work=PopEntertainment.com|last=Jacobs|first=Jay S.|date=May 4, 2006|url=http://www.popentertainment.com/sutherland.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20251015034429/http://www.popentertainment.com/sutherland.htm|archive-date=October 15, 2025|title=Donald Sutherland, Rachel Hurd-Wood, James D'Arcy and Courtney Solomon}}</ref> Sutherland commented that he felt drawn to the material due to his own supernatural experiences in a home he resided in in Quebec.<ref name=Jacobs/> Sissy Spacek was cast in the role of John's wife Lucy.<ref name=Jacobs/> Spacek stated that she was intrigued by the screenplay and its historical references: "The fact that it is a legend and has been so documented intrigued me, particularly with someone who became president [referring to [[Andrew Jackson]]]. But even if it wasn’t a documented story, even if all these books hadn’t been written about it, I thought it could stand on its own as a film."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.today.com/popculture/haunting-based-tennessee-legend-wbna12632086|work=[[Today (American TV program)|Today]]|date=May 4, 2006|title='Haunting' based on Tennessee legend|archive-url=https://archive.today/20251015035138/https://www.today.com/popculture/haunting-based-tennessee-legend-wbna12632086|archive-date=October 15, 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>

Rachel Hurd-Wood was cast as the Bell's eldest daughter, Betsy.<ref name=Jacobs/> Commenting on starring in a horror film, Hurd-Wood said: "It’s more just the story that I found intriguing. And the character...&nbsp;I was really drawn to the whole project. It was really, really cool doing a horror movie as well."<ref name=Jacobs/>

James D'Arcy was cast in the role of Richard Powell, Lucy's schoolteacher who becomes invested in her alleged supernatural experiences.<ref name=Jacobs/>

===Filming===
Principal photography began in October 2004 in [[Romania]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.screendaily.com/haunting-shoot-starts-in-romania-with-territories-sold/4020575.article|work=[[Screen Daily]]|title=Haunting shoot starts in Romania with territories sold|last=Kay|first=Jeremy|date=October 19, 2004|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20251015030255/https://www.screendaily.com/haunting-shoot-starts-in-romania-with-territories-sold/4020575.article|archive-date=October 15, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2004/film/news/haunting-scares-up-sutherland-spacek-1117912225/|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|title='Haunting' scares up Sutherland, Spacek|last=Harris|first=Dana|date=October 19, 2004|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20251015030434/https://variety.com/2004/film/news/haunting-scares-up-sutherland-spacek-1117912225/|archive-date=October 15, 2025}}</ref> with a largely British and Romanian crew.<ref name=MovieWeb/> Actress Hurd-Wood performed some of her own stunts in the film, including a sequence in which she is dragged up a staircase: "That was painful, and it took all day, and it was tiring," she recalled. "Not only did I have to make sure I did the physical stuff, I had to cry and scream."<ref name=MovieWeb>{{cite web|url=https://movieweb.com/exclusive-rachel-hurd-wood-talks-an-american-haunting/|work=[[MovieWeb]]|title=Rachel Hurd-Wood Talks An American Haunting [Exclusive]|author=''MovieWeb'' Staff|date=May 3, 2006|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20251015044105/https://movieweb.com/exclusive-rachel-hurd-wood-talks-an-american-haunting/|archive-date=October 15, 2025}}</ref>

==Release==
''An American Haunting'' premiered at the [[AFI Film Festival]] on November 5, 2005. It was shown the same day at the [[San Sebastián International Film Festival]]'s "Fantasy and Horror Film Week" series.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sansebastianhorrorfestival.eus/2005/nota5-c.pdf|work=[[San Sebastián International Film Festival]]|series=Semana de Cine Fantástico y de Terror|language=es|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20251015050045/https://www.sansebastianhorrorfestival.eus/2005/nota5-c.pdf|archive-date=October 15, 2025|title="An American Haunting", de Courtney Solomon, Clausurará en el Kursaal la XVI Semana de Cinee Fantástico y de Terror de San Sebastián}}</ref> It was distributed theatrically in the United Kingdom the following spring, on April 4, 2006. [[Freestyle Releasing]] released the film in the United States on May 5, 2006, where it opened in 1,675 theaters.<ref name=BOM/>

===Alternate versions===
At least two different cuts of the film exist;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=4257|work=Movie-Censorship|title=American Haunting, An (Comparison)|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20251015042054/https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=4257|archive-date=October 15, 2025}}</ref> the version originally shown in the United Kingdom ran longer than the North American release, and featured a different ending.<ref name=RadioFree>{{cite web|url=https://movies.radiofree.com/interviews/anameric_james_darcy.shtml|work=RadioFree.com|title=JAMES D'ARCY on 'AN AMERICAN HAUNTING'|last=Lee|first=Michael J.|date=April 25, 2006|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20251015031829/https://movies.radiofree.com/interviews/anameric_james_darcy.shtml|archive-date=October 15, 2025}}</ref> The cut of the film shown in the United Kingdom has been described as "radically different" from the version released in the United States.<ref name=CHUD>{{cite web|work=CHUD.com|title=Interview: Courtney Solomon (An American Haunting)|date=May 4, 2006|url=https://chud.com/6592/interview-courtney-solomon-an-american-haunting/|last=Faraci|first=Devin|archive-url=https://archive.today/20251015032105/https://chud.com/6592/interview-courtney-solomon-an-american-haunting/|archive-date=October 15, 2025}}</ref> The United Kingdom version of the film also features voice-over narration from James D'Arcy, which was excised from the United States theatrical cut.<ref name=Jacobs/>

In an interview promoting the film's release, Solomon commented that he chose to re-cut the film for American audiences after its premiere at the AFI Film Festival in 2005: {{blockquote|The critics and the audience at [[American Film Institute|AFI]] that helped me realize what some of the flaws were in the first version. And because I started to think to myself, 'If ten of the ten people say the same thing, and especially after my ''[[Dungeons & Dragons (2000 film)|Dungeons and Dragons]]'' experience, it's going to be a hundred thousand of a hundred thousand people.' They’re pretty much going to say the same thing—maybe ninety-nine point nine nine nine nine nine. They can’t all be wrong. So I think if you can do it, you should do it and I luckily got myself into a position where I could do it.<ref name=CHUD/>}}

===Home media===
[[Lionsgate Studios|Lionsgate]] released ''An American Haunting'' on [[DVD]] in rated and unrated version on October 24, 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/24566|work=[[DVD Talk]]|title=American Haunting, An|date=October 22, 2006|last=Zupan|first=Michael|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20251015033437/https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/24566|archive-date=October 15, 2025}}</ref> [[Alliance Atlantis]] released a [[Blu-ray]] edition of the film in Canada on August 10, 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/An-American-Haunting-Blu-ray/11741/|work=Blu-ray.com|title=An American Haunting Blu-ray|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20251015033844/https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/An-American-Haunting-Blu-ray/11741/|archive-date=October 15, 2025}}</ref>

==Reception==
===Box office===
The film earned $6,380,000 in the United States during its opening weekend.<ref name=BOM/> It completed its theatrical run in the United States with a gross of $16,298,046, in addition to $13,314,091 internationally, for a worldwide gross of $29,612,137.<ref name=BOM/>

===Critical response===
''An American Haunting'' was panned by critics. {{Rotten Tomatoes prose|12||66|consensus=Well, it looks good. But wasn't it supposed to be scary?|access-date=October 15, 2025|ref=y}} {{Metacritic film prose|38|100|ref=yes|access-date=October 15, 2025}}

[[Michael Gingold]] of ''[[Fangoria]]'' praised the film's performances and period detail, but criticized it for its "metronomic" plotting and its resolution, in which "Solomon attempts a psychological twist on what has heretofore been a supernatural situation; yet while it’s intellectually intriguing, it just doesn’t work dramatically, and the explanation contradicts a good amount of what we’ve previously been shown. When the movie jumps back to the present day for its conclusion, it’s clear that Solomon intended the revelation to give the tale resonance with our current times, but it serves mostly to point up how gratuitous the framing device is."<ref>{{cite web|last=Gingold|first=Michael|work=[[Fangoria]]|title=Review: An American Haunting|date=May 5, 2006|url=https://www.fangoria.com/an-american-haunting-review/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20251015032634/https://www.fangoria.com/an-american-haunting-review/|archive-date=October 15, 2025}}</ref>

''[[Ain't It Cool News]]'' favorably commented on the film's cinematography and "excellent" acting from the cast.<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Ain't It Cool News]]|title=AN AMERICAN HAUNTING creeps up on this viewer!!!|date=November 8, 2005|url=https://legacy.aintitcool.com/node/21770|archive-url=https://archive.today/20251015040550/https://legacy.aintitcool.com/node/21770|archive-date=October 15, 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> The ''[[Savannah Morning News]]'' also commended the performances as a notable strong point, writing that the film's "overbearing clamor is redeemed to a large extent by engaging performances and fine 19th century period detail."<ref>{{cite news|work=[[Savannah Morning News]]|title=Spirited acting saves 'An American Haunting'|date=May 4, 2006|author=''Savannah Morning News'' Staff|url=https://www.savannahnow.com/story/news/2006/05/04/spirited-acting-saves-american-haunting/13752623007/|archive-date=October 15, 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/20251015040815/https://www.savannahnow.com/story/news/2006/05/04/spirited-acting-saves-american-haunting/13752623007/|url-status=live}}</ref> David Germain of the ''[[Hartford Courant]]'' echoed this sentiment, praising the lead performances: "The actors are the saving grace, Spacek (the combination heroine-victim-villain of another unsubtle fright flick, ''[[Carrie (1976 film)|Carrie]]'') is a grand matriarch, Sutherland a confident man undone by powers outside his understanding, Hurd-Wood a mix of radiant approaching womanhood and animal terror."<ref name=Germain/> Germain concluded of the film: "Creepy as it is at times, ''[An] American Haunting'' loses much of its fright potential amid the frenzied visuals and screeching vocalizations Solomon employs."<ref name=Germain>{{cite news|work=[[Hartford Courant]]|last=Germain|first=David|title=Stars Save 'Haunting' From Aural, Visual Excesses|date=May 5, 2006|url-status=dead|url=https://www.ctnow.com/movies/reviews/hce-americanrev.artmay05%2C0%2C4702923.story/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060618140234/https://www.ctnow.com/movies/reviews/hce-americanrev.artmay05%2C0%2C4702923.story/|archive-date=June 18, 2006}}</ref> Writing for ''[[The Village Voice]]'', Jim Ridley noted that Sutherland and Spacek are "overqualified for a project that relies mainly on shaky-cam mayhem and snarling wolves amped to 11. The movie creates some moody [[Hammer Film Productions|Hammer]]-horror atmospherics using shadows, candlelight, and darkened woods. But when it comes to the kind of blatant shocks favored by mall rats, the limits of Solomon’s toolbox become painfully apparent."<ref>{{cite web|work=[[The Village Voice]]|last=Ridley|first=Jim|date=April 25, 2006|url=https://www.villagevoice.com/an-american-haunting/|title='An American Haunting'|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20251015044729/https://www.villagevoice.com/an-american-haunting/|archive-date=October 15, 2025}}</ref>

Nathan Lee of ''[[The New York Times]]'' described the film as derivative of ''[[The Exorcist]]'' and added that it "exchanges bottom-barrel [[metaphysics]] for even cheaper psychology."<ref name=Lee>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/05/movies/mysterious-moans-from-an-invisible-ghost-in-an-american-haunting.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=May 5, 2006|title=Mysterious Moans From an Invisible Ghost in 'An American Haunting'|last=Lee|first=Nathan|url-status=live|archive-date=October 15, 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/20251015034225/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/05/movies/mysterious-moans-from-an-invisible-ghost-in-an-american-haunting.html}}</ref> Nigel Floyd of ''[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]'' noted that the film "is weighed down by period detail and ponderous storytelling, which soon get the better of its ''Exorcist''-inspired levitations, flying crucifixes and noisy poltergeist activity."<ref name=TimeOut>{{cite web|last=Floyd|first=Nigel|url=https://www.timeout.com/movies/an-american-haunting-1|work=[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]|title=An American Haunting 2006, directed by Courtney Solomon|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20251015025906/https://www.timeout.com/movies/an-american-haunting-1|archive-date=October 15, 2025}}</ref> Matthew Leyland of the [[BBC]] awarded the film a two out of four star-rating, describing the film as "unoriginal and unrelenting" and criticizing its use of special effects.<ref>{{cite web|work=[[BBC]]|title=An American Haunting (2006)|date=April 12, 2006|last=Leyland|first=Matthew|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/london/entertainment/films/reviews/film_review_an_american_haunting_feature.shtml|archive-url=https://archive.today/20251015035823/https://www.bbc.co.uk/london/entertainment/films/reviews/film_review_an_american_haunting_feature.shtml|archive-date=October 15, 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> Philip French of ''[[The Guardian]]'' unfavorably described the film as "dull, derivative stuff, supposedly based on a true story."<ref>{{cite web|work=[[The Guardian]]|title=An American Haunting|date=April 16, 2006|last=French|first=Philip|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/apr/16/philipfrench5|archive-url=https://archive.today/20251015035618/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/apr/16/philipfrench5|archive-date=October 15, 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Kim Newman]], writing for ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'', panned the film, awarding it a one-star rating out of five, and describing it as "a noisy, busy effort with hand-wringing performances and a camera that won’t sit still to let any atmosphere creep in."<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]|last=Newman|first=Kim|author-link=Kim Newman|title=An American Haunting Review|date=March 31, 2006|url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/american-haunting-review/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20251015045203/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/american-haunting-review/|archive-date=October 15, 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Accolades===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|-
! scope="col" style="width:12em;"| Award/association
! scope="col" style="width:2em;"| Year
! scope="col" style="width:20em;"| Category
! scope="col"| Recipient(s) and nominee(s)
! scope="col"| Result
! scope="col" class="unsortable"| {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference(s)}}
|-
! scope="row"| [[Fangoria Chainsaw Awards|''Fangoria'' Chainsaw Awards]]
| 2006
| Creepiest Kid
| [[Rachel Hurd-Wood]]
| {{nom}}
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"| <ref name=TVGuide>{{cite web|work=[[TV Guide]]|title=An American Haunting|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/an-american-haunting/2030141240/|archive-date=October 15, 2025|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20251015042440/https://www.tvguide.com/movies/an-american-haunting/2030141240/}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row"| [[Golden Trailer Awards]]
| 2006
| Best Horror Trailer
| rowspan="3"| ''An American Haunting''
| {{nom}}
|-
! scope="row"| [[Stinkers Bad Movie Awards]]
| [[2006 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards|2006]]
| Least Scary Horror Movie
| {{nom}}
| style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.thestinkers.com/2006ballot.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070504100403/http://www.thestinkers.com/2006ballot.html | title = Stinkers Bad Movie Awards - 2006 Ballot | website = [[Stinkers Bad Movie Awards|The Stinkers]] | url-status = dead | archive-date = May 4, 2007}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2"| [[Teen Choice Awards]]
| rowspan="2"| [[2006 Teen Choice Awards|2006]]
| Choice Movie: Thriller
| {{nom}}
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"| <ref name=TVGuide/>
|-
| Choice Movie: Scream Scene
| Rachel Hurd-Wood
| {{nom}}
|-
|}

==See also==
*''[[The Bell Witch Haunting]]''

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{URL|https://web.archive.org/web/20060506214309/http://www.anamericanhauntingonline.com/|Official website}} (archived)
* {{IMDb title|0429573|An American Haunting}}
* {{mojo title|americanhaunting|An American Haunting}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|american_haunting|An American Haunting}}
* {{Metacritic film|title=An American Haunting}}

{{Courtney Solomon}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:American Haunting, An}}
[[Category:2005 films]]
[[Category:2005 horror films]]
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[[Category:American ghost films]]
[[Category:American haunted house films]]
[[Category:American historical horror films]]
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[[Category:American supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:British films based on actual events]]
[[Category:British ghost films]]
[[Category:British historical horror films]]
[[Category:British independent films]]
[[Category:British religious horror films]]
[[Category:British supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:Canadian films based on actual events]]
[[Category:Canadian ghost films]]
[[Category:Canadian independent films]]
[[Category:Canadian religious horror films]]
[[Category:Canadian supernatural horror films]]
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[[Category:Films about child sexual abuse]]
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[[Category:Films about incest]]
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[[Category:Films about spirit possession]]
[[Category:Films about witchcraft]]
[[Category:Films based on American novels]]
[[Category:Films based on American horror novels]]
[[Category:Films directed by Courtney Solomon]]
[[Category:Films scored by Justin Burnett]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1810s]]
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[[Category:2005 American films]]
[[Category:2005 British films]]
[[Category:2005 Canadian films]]
[[Category:2005 English-language films]]
[[Category:2000s ghost films]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=An American Haunting|access_date=2026-02-25}}