The Haunted (1991)

Robert Mandel directed this TV movie adaptation of the reputedly true account of Jack & Janet Smurl(played by Jeffrey De Munn & Sally Kirkland) who moved into a newly renovated home with his parents and their children, only to discover that it is haunted by ghosts and a demonic spirit that increasingly terrorize them, causing them to seek help from their church, then paranormal investigators Ed & Lorraine Warren(played by Stephen Markle & Diane Baker) Things take a desperate turn after they contact the press... Mediocre film has a good cast and much potential, but suffers from unimaginative direction that squanders the few eerie scenes it can produce(like the "Janet?" scenes) Rambling plot that inexplicably drops characters(like the Warrens for instance) doesn't help matters either. Still not on DVD yet for some equally inexplicable reason, but is on YouTube. Compare this with the later film "The Conjuring" to see what I mean about direction!

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.

I hate this family, all of them. Its like they were dressed like little house on the prarie but lived in the suburbs. I think the ghost lived in the fathers mustache. This is great bored weekend viewing. Its not scary at all, unless your 7 years old or something. Honestly, if I saw a big blob floating in my house I wouldn't be that scared, I'd just move and use the blob as a selling point. This has to be the most vapid family ever, they really look like a group of people that have never had fun, ever. This movie needed more sex and violence, considering its filled with every ghost movie cliché, its they least they could do. Oh well.

My boss is actually the niece of the Smurl famiy. Today at work the fact that it's 6/6/06 came up and we were discussing scary movies, and she mentioned that there was a book and movie about a haunted house in her family. She mentioned the name and I looked it up online and brought up the story here: http://www.warrens.net/smurl.htm We sat there and read it and she kept adding things to what that website said, about how she had also experienced weird things in the house as a child when she'd go to visit. She was listing off names before I even read them, and events before I read them- then when we looked at the pictures, she was telling us where rooms were, etc... so for any of you "non believers"- believe it, because it's a true story.