‘Based on true events’
A Haunting in Salem is a 2011 horror film about a sheriff and his family who unwittingly move into a house that’s haunted by witches.
Directed by Shane Van Dyke (Titanic II; 6 Guns; Paranormal Entity) from a screenplay written by H. Perry Horton (Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark; 100 Degrees Below Zero; 40 Days and Nights; Shark Week; 2-Headed Shark Attack).
The Asylum production stars Bill Oberst Jr, Courtney Abbiati, Jenna Stone (Dead List; Hide and Go Seek), Nicholas Harsin, Carey Van Dyke and Gerald Webb.
Plot:
The new town sheriff (Bill Oberst Jr) moves into a large creepy old house with his family. It seems that in the town of Salem there’s a special house for the sheriff to live in gratis. Unfortunately, it’s haunted by witches that have a strong craving for blood…
Reviews:
“All of the film elements, from lighting to acting, are of a good caliber here. Only the short runtime of A Haunting in Salem dampers the experience of the film, with this production one of The Asylum’s best. Thankfully, this is not a mockbuster either, with Horton’s script original and even refreshing at times.” 7.5 out of 10, 28 Days Later Analysis
” …peppered with random nonsensical images of what is supposed to be construed as horror which just ends up as ridiculous […] The acting is bad, and the daughter is in full make-up while she is sleeping and throwing up! This movie offers no real scares only a few jump and cringe scenes…” Dan’s Movie Report
“For a haunted house movie it does contain a pretty impressive body count […] As always Bill Oberst Jr. does a great job with his character, convincing you that he may not be mentally fully stable. Of course, there have been many movies with the title A Haunting In….. insert town name, but quite a few of those are pretty bad so it is refreshing to see one stand out.” Horror Screams Video Vault
“Director Shane Van Dyke (Paranormal Entity) nails it with this fun haunted-house flick that only takes a short time to hit its stride as a quality genre piece. The film follows the essential blueprint laid out by better filmmakers and succeeds more often than not at providing some nice moments of fear along the way. Legitimate surprises lurk within the low-budget shadows….” Horror DNA
“The cheap-looking special effects and horrible acting give the entire film a very “let’s-get-a-camera-and-make-a-movie” homegrown feel that doesn’t exactly hurt the final product. A Haunting in Salem will never be considered a great horror film, but it does have a cheesy charm once you get into it.” KTLA
“Horton’s script is smart in unfolding a small mystery while hitting all the traditional possessed house plot points minus the usual cringe-inducing dialogue. The actors’ performances are top-notch for the quick shooting schedule, making you wish they had spent a little more time on it just to see how much better they could be. A Haunting in Salem is truly firing on all cylinders.” Movie Mavs
” …starts off rather slow and there were only a couple of good jump scares. Though I feel like the make-up effects could have been a bit better they didn’t distract from the film, and again, it’s Asylum, so in a way, it fits into the library of films they already have. As for the setting, who doesn’t love Salem? ” 6.5 out of 10, Nightmarish Conjurings
“A Haunting in Salem bills itself as a spine-tingling, haunted chiller in the tradition of The Amityville Horror and The Shining and, much like those classics, it succeeded in delivering numerous jumps and scares that kept me thinking about them long after the final credits rolled. Bill Oberst, Jr. was very convincing as a damaged man…” Rock 102 Online
“Production values are low, filming mistakes can be found and the budgeted CGI is at times cringe-worthy. Otherwise, the film looks studio professional. The performances are strong. The story is refreshingly familiar but different and there’s a few practical scenes to please any old-school horror fan like myself who enjoys a good hanging.” Without Your Head
MOVIES & MANIA rating:
Notes:
A Haunting in Salem was shot in Native 3D. Shot in twelve days, the production managed up to twenty-eight setups per day.
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