Haunter

It's sometime in the 80s. Lisa (Abigail Breslin) turns 16 tomorrow. Only she's been repeating the same day over and over again. Neither her parents or her little brother remember. Yet everyday is the same. That is until somethings start changing.

It's Groundhog Day and a horror movie ... sort of. If it's a horror, there isn't anything scary in it. It is head scratching. Lisa reveals the premise very early on, and then it slowly devolves into something even weirder. There has to be a way to get to a scarier situation. But there is no consequences to being caught. Her situation can't actually be any worse. Certainly the normal fear of death do not apply. And that's what this movie needs. It needs stakes for Lisa to fight for. It needs something that she could lose if she fails. There isn't anything like that here. At least, director Vincenzo Natali didn't set up anything like that.

So after many, many months of 4, 5 and tops 6, finally I get a movie that deserves more. I'll tell you folks, I really enjoyed this one. Yes, it may be cheesy at times, a tad bit confusing, could use more frights, but does NOT disappoint.

It starts as a horror, ends the same, delivers with quite an impressive story, good acting, good characters, nice mood and a terrific performance by Stephen McHattie. Of course, some might say it's more supernatural, has some plot holes, should have improved the scares, and so many other aspects that might have used some changes, but I for one loved it. I'll take it as it is and pass it to you guys! It's a great movie to watch it with your girlfriend, or with friends, cracking your head trying to figure what's going one, see who manages to break the ice.

Anyway, words are useless this time, it's up to you to get your hands on Haunter and press play. You won't be disappointed. Cheers!

Interesting chiller mystery starts off strong but gradually becomes more and more predictable. Ghost story movies can be a tad repetitive. However, this movie starts out cleverly with a sort of ghost version of Groundhog Day, where Abigail Breslin's family relives the same day over & over, with her the only one who seems to know that they are dead. This plays out for awhile and is pretty intriguing stuff, with decent jumps and spooky moments. Then Stephen McHattie's character enters the story and from there the momentum begins to wane and the mystery becomes a lot less intriguing. If you've seen any of the dozens of ghost stories about a (usually female) ghost trapped because of what some evil man did to them, you will feel a sense of familiarity begin to come over you as you watch. Still, it's got enough interesting things going for it to recommend you check it out. Breslin is a talented young actress and she holds the movie on her shoulders quite well. McHattie is sufficiently creepy in a rather transparent role. Give it a shot if you like supernatural thrillers.

A new point of view for a simple ghost story that keeps you guessing. 15 minutes into the movie, I thought I had it all figured out and then suddenly, a new twist! A ghost story with a freshness to it. I wouldn't classify it as a horror movie but more of a mystery thriller. Watching the movie creates a bit of 80's nostalgia. It actually made me miss my Atari 2600. The movie is not scary yet it captivates the viewer and okay for kids to watch. I watched it with my teenage sons and 8 year-old daughter and all of us enjoyed it quite a bit. A quick mention for the main character, Abigail Breslin (Lisa)who is a very convincing actress. Reminded me a bit of The Sixth Sense and The Others. Although I didn't love it, I did like it A LOT. Definitely worth the watch!

Haunter is a ghost story with a twist. The film is based on the interesting concept of a family who lives the same day all over again. This idea is cleverly used in the first part of the movie and efficiently captivates the audience within the first few minutes, The problem is that it quickly gets repetitive. The film has a complex and interesting plot, but is too long to remain truly interesting. Despite a great try for being different from all the other ghost films, Haunter fails at his most important task, being scary. There are a few jumpy scenes, but nothing that should get you hiding under your seat.

In the end, Haunter is another ghost story...not a bad one. Those who enjoy the ghost genre should really check it out. The presence of Abigail Breslin (Zombieland, Little Miss Sunshine) is interesting, but I found the mum and the dad to be the true great actors in that film (the dad played in Saw VI and Silent Hill Revelations 3D). Considering that the director, Vincenzo Natali, is the one responsible for both Cube and Splice, two awesome horror/sci-fi flicks, I think this one is a little bit disappointing.