In 2004, a series of paranormal events occurred at the old Bell Witch property in Adams, Tennessee. This haunting became widely known as the Bell Witch haunting and drew the attention of many skeptics and believers alike. The Bell Witch haunting originally took place in the early 19th century, when the Bell family claimed to be tormented by a malevolent entity. The events of that time were well-documented and became the inspiration for many books, movies, and stories. However, in 2004, people started reporting strange occurrences at the same property, suggesting that the haunting had returned. Witnesses claimed to have seen shadowy figures, heard unexplainable noises, and experienced a pervasive feeling of being watched.
I was always fascinated by the "Bell Witch" growing up. I remember hearing all the stories and superstitions, like if you say the witch doesn't exist three times while turning around it will appear in a mirror. But when I started doing research and reading the recollections of the people who were there it made the hair stand on my neck. As extraordinary as the made up stories sound, they are nothing compared to what really happened. I think that when people see the truth, they will be mystified and astonished, as were hundreds of visitors who came from all over the country to hear and experience the Spirit almost two hundred years ago.
As for scouting locations in pre-production for the project, over a two month time span Ric and I visited private homes and many historic sites, including homes, churches, and parks where either the outside facade or the interior of the buildings needed to suite the period of time for the shooting of the film which was 1817 to 1821. The Asylum, a company known for their habit of ripping off other people s ideas and titles, jumped in with the idea of setting a ghost story on the site of a famous murder or haunted house with The Haunting of Winchester House 2009 and continued with Gacy House 2010 , Anneliese The Exorcist Tapes 2011 , The Amityville Haunting 2011 , A Haunting in Salem 2011 , The Haunting of Whaley House 2012 and 100 Ghost Street The Return of Richard Speck 2012.
Witnesses claimed to have seen shadowy figures, heard unexplainable noises, and experienced a pervasive feeling of being watched. Some visitors even reported being physically touched or pushed by an unseen presence. The phenomena were not limited to the property itself, as strange happenings were reported in the surrounding area as well.
The Bell Witch Haunting (2013)
All Uncredited:-
Director – Glenn Miller, Producers – Paul Bales, David Michael Latt & David Rimawi, Photography – Bryan Koss, Makeup Effects – Tracy Rosen. Production Company – The Asylum.
Cast
Cat Alter (Dana Sawyer), Andrew Hellenthal (Brandon Sawyer), Ted Jonas (Michael Sawyer), Julia Cearley (Janette Sawyer), Benjamin James (Colby), Natalie Burtney (Lisa), M. Steven Petty (Priest), Drew Cash (Scott), James Simenc (Chris), Desi Ivanova (Kristi)
Plot
Video footage taken from police evidence. The Sawyer family moved into a new house in Adams County, Tennessee in January 2011. The teenage son Brandon received a video camera for his birthday and began filming everything that happened. He soon began to record a series of increasingly supernatural happenings occurring around the house. The bodies of the daughter Dana’s friends were then found hung in the nearby woods. As the force began increasingly tormenting them and killing others, Brandon made the discovery that the house was situated on the site of the famous Bell Witch haunting in the 19th Century.
The Found Footage ghost story became a genre unto itself after the success of Paranormal Activity (2007) and sequels. This produced a horde of usually low-budget imitators such as Lake Mungo (2008), Haunted Changi (2010), Emergo/Apartment 143 (2011), Grave Encounters (2011), Haunted Poland (2011), 7 Nights of Darkness (2011), Muirhouse (2012), The Borderlands (2013) and 21 Days (2014). The Asylum, a company known for their habit of ripping off other people’s ideas and titles, jumped in with the idea of setting a ghost story on the site of a famous murder or haunted house with The Haunting of Winchester House (2009) and continued with Gacy House (2010), Anneliese: The Exorcist Tapes (2011), The Amityville Haunting (2011), A Haunting in Salem (2011), The Haunting of Whaley House (2012) and 100 Ghost Street: The Return of Richard Speck (2012).
The Bell Witch Haunting was a supposedly true incident that occurred between 1817 and 1821 where the Bell family of Adams, Tennessee claim to have been terrorised by a supernatural force. The spirit assaulted the teenage Betsy and struck down the father John Bell with palsy and possibly poisoned him. The Bell family believed this was a curse conjured by local woman Kathe Betts who fell out with John and had him excommunicated from the local church. Later-to-be US President Andrew Jackson supposedly tried to visit the Bell farm and was driven away by the spirit. There have been three films based on the legend with the low-budget The Bell Witch Haunting (2004) and Bell Witch: The Movie (2007), with the most high-profile of these being Courtney Solomon’s An American Haunting (2005).
The Found Footage ghost story (and genre as a whole) has so few original moves to it that most of them have been reduced to cliche within the space of less than a handful of films. By the time of The Bell Witch Haunting , these are starting to seem tiresome in their predictability. A great many of the directorial set-ups here are blatantly borrowed from Paranormal Activity and sequels – the infra-red cameras watching in the bedrooms as people sleep, ones mounted in the dining room and kitchen observing as things randomly fall over or doors shut of their own accord.
James Simenc attacked in the woods
The basic plot of the family moving into the new house, which they then find to be haunted, has been uplifted from The Amityville Horror (1979) – we even get scenes where the father (Ted Jonas) becomes infected by ichor and turns brooding. It is also a film where the need to swing plot points gets in the way of credibility – I can buy that an electrical repairman might want to do a selfie How To film to upload to YouTube as a promotional gimmick but would someone really edit, post-produce and upload footage that showed the electrician being killed (as the on-screen site credits indicate it has)?
Glenn Miller, who as is wont with most Found Footage films, is uncredited. Miller has been a regular Asylum assistant director who subsequently went on to direct The Coed and the Zombie Stoner (2014), Santa Claws (2014), Zoombies (2016) and Aquarium of the Dead (2021). Very occasionally Miller does something that stimulates attention. One of the more interesting images is an infra-red shot where a sheet is levitated from two sleeping girls and then brought down, pinning them to the bed and suffocating them.
The film also gets one mild jolt off where James Simenc goes into the woods to pay tribute to his killed friend only to be abruptly snatched up into the air by a blurred force and his dead body tossed back seconds later. The last section of the film with the attempt to exorcise the house and much running around the woods with possessed people and handheld camera travels into tiresomely cliche areas by which point one switches off altogether.
Chapter Selection
45 minutes of Behind The Scenes
Paranormal investigators and researchers visited the Bell Witch property in an attempt to document and understand these strange events. They set up cameras, audio recorders, and other equipment to capture any evidence of the supernatural. Some of the footage and audio recordings obtained during these investigations were indeed unsettling, but skeptics argue that they can be explained by natural phenomena or psychological factors. Despite the skepticism, the 2004 Bell Witch haunting attracted a significant amount of attention from the media and the general public. The legend of the Bell Witch had already become a part of local folklore, making it all the more intriguing when similar occurrences resurfaced. Whether or not one believes in the supernatural, the Bell Witch haunting of 2004 remains a fascinating event. The mystery and intrigue surrounding the property continue to draw people to Adams, Tennessee, and fuel the ongoing debates about the existence of ghosts and other paranormal phenomena..
Reviews for "The Enigma of the Bell Witch Haunting in 2004"
1. John - 1/5
I was really disappointed with the Bell Witc Haunting 2004. The acting was extremely amateur, and the storyline felt disjointed and unoriginal. The scares were predictable and lacked any real tension. It was filled with clichés and cheap jump scares that did nothing to elevate the overall experience. I wouldn't recommend wasting your time on this film if you're looking for a genuinely frightening supernatural horror.
2. Lisa - 2/5
I found the Bell Witc Haunting 2004 to be quite underwhelming. Despite the promising premise, the execution fell flat. The characters lacked depth and the dialogue was forced. The pacing was inconsistent, with long periods of boredom interspersed with jumpy moments that failed to deliver any real scares. The special effects were also subpar and took away from the overall atmosphere. Overall, it lacked originality and failed to leave a lasting impression.
3. Mark - 2/5
The Bell Witc Haunting 2004 had potential, but it failed to live up to expectations. The found footage style was overused and became tedious to watch. The plot felt recycled and lacked any innovative twists. The performances were lackluster, and the characters were difficult to connect with. It relied too heavily on jump scares rather than building genuine suspense. Overall, it felt like a missed opportunity to explore the folklore and mythology surrounding the Bell Witch legend.
4. Emily - 2/5
For a horror movie, the Bell Witc Haunting 2004 had a severe lack of scares. The storyline seemed to drag on and never truly deliver any thrills. The characters were one-dimensional and uninteresting, and their decisions often left me frustrated rather than scared. The editing was choppy, making it difficult to follow the narrative at times. Overall, it failed to capture the essence of a chilling supernatural horror, leaving me disappointed and unimpressed.