Haunter

Haunter follows morose teenager Lisa (Abigail Breslin) as she comes to the realization that she and her family are (and have been for quite some time) actually dead, with the movie detailing Lisa’s efforts at convincing the others of their ghostly state and, eventually, solving a crime involving a mysterious evil spirit. It’s ultimately clear that Haunter fares best in its opening half hour, as the movie, directed by Vincenzo Natali and scripted by Brian King, effectively puts a fresh spin on a decidedly familiar subject matter – with the engrossing atmosphere heightened by Natali’s stylish visuals and a string of engaging performances. (Haunter does, after all, boast an eclectic – and very Canadian – supporting cast that includes David Hewlett, Peter Outerbridge, and Stephen McHattie.) It’s only as the movie progresses into its uncomfortably stagnant midsection that one’s interest begins to wane, as Natali, seemingly stifled by King’s claustrophobic screenplay, slowly-but-surely transforms Haunter into an oppressively theatrical and aggressively off-kilter piece of work. The continuing emphasis on Lisa’s investigation into what happened within the house proves disastrous, and there’s little doubt that the film, as a result, grows more and more repetitive in the buildup to its thoroughly anticlimactic finale (ie none of this is the slightest bit interesting, ultimately). The end result is Natali’s weakest film since 2003’s Nothing, which is a shame, for sure, given the strength of both the setup and the performances (Breslin is especially good here, certainly).

*1/2 out of ****