La noche del fantasma

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.

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!

"We're stuck in this house and we're never gonna leave, because all of us are..." Lisa (Breslin) is a typical teenager. She lives at home and is annoyed by her family. They eat the same thing every day and watch the same thing every night. Unlike most teenagers the days are repetitive because she is dead and is stuck in a constant cycle with no escape. After hearing voices she tries to contact the world of the living which only causes more problems for everyone. I knew nothing about this going in except for that fact that I was intrigued by Abigail Breslin in a horror movie. The movie started off a little slow and cheesy, setting itself up to be a horror version on Groundhog Day but the longer the movie went on it found its stride and became pretty entertaining. There were enough twists and things you didn't see coming to make it interesting the entire time. I wasn't really that scared watching this but I did have a good time watching it and when it ended I was surprised with how much I did end up liking it. Overall, nothing amazing but a different type of horror movie and because of that I liked it and recommend this. I give this a B.

The best description I can give of Haunter that it feels like a very well done episode of The Twilight Zone. Haunter has much more going on but there are some elements that detract from the viewing experience. The mystery that is presented to us is solid. You do wonder what it's going on however for fans of the genre it is pretty obvious from early on. Even then Haunter manages to creep you out to the maximum with minimal means. There are quite a few moments where you feel your heart pumping with excitement. Only at one point when it becomes clear what is going on it begins to drag. And really annoyingly. Here is where The Twilight Zone analogy comes in. The story is creepy and compelling enough for a duration of 50 minutes then every event after is just there to prolong those 50 minutes. Basically this movie would be excellent as an episode of an anthology series as The Twilight Zone but as a full film it can become quite tedious. Still overall I think this film shows how horror does not need blood or gore to manage to scare or freak you out. And I wished more contemporary films would follow this example. Definitely worth the watch, but be aware that after the first hour it can become tasking to remain watching. Although when you do you will get a satisfying ending.