A Haunting at Silver Falls

Plot synopsis:
The movie starts with a young girl running through a dark wood from a shadowy figure. The scene becomes bleak as a severed hand is seen next to the girls dead body and the body is dragged away. On the hand is a silver ring. Jordan (Alix Elizabeth Gitter) is a teenager that has been orphaned after her father dies of Leukemia. Her mother died from drowning when Jordan was five years old. She's sent to live with an aunt (Tara Westwood), who is the identical twin of her mother, and uncle (Steve Bacic). They live in the town of Silver Falls, where she learns of ghost stories being told after seeing a burning mannequin at a park where teens go to party. When police come to raid the party Jordan wanders the surrounding forest and discovers the ring, which she places on her forefinger without even thinking. When she returns home she tries to remove the ring, but it won't come off. The ring, it turns out, attracts the ghost of the girl who had mysteriously been murdered twenty years before. No one, however, knows of the murder. The ghost does mischievous acts around the house, such as moving pictures, opening doors, and stealing small items from Jordan's aunt and uncle. These actions cause concern in her household causing them to make an appointment with the local psychologist, who is not fond of Jordan, as he believes she is a negative influence on his geek son.

Tags: revenge, horror

Review:
Now she must uncover the truth behind this haunting...First off I was quite surprised at how well this film was made and the low rating received considering the budget.
Not to mention that according to the film this is based on a true story and that always leaves you thinking of the possibilities.
Young Jordan (Alix Elizabeth Gitter) is sent down the path to who the real killer is only to find the killer is very close to her.I figured this was going to be yet another disposable film with no names and little inspiration.
And two, it is far better than the average "haunting" film because the story is not really about the ghosts at all.I have to single out James Cavlo as Larry, and I hope to see Cavlo in more things.
Moving to a quiet suburb after her parents' death, a teenage girl finds herself embroiled in a mystery by a pair of twin ghosts to solve their murder they may or may not be connected with her distant relatives she just moved in with.This is a rather enjoyable enough Lifetime Channel ghost story even if it's pretty familiar and generic most of the time.
As far as these general types of 'Righting Wrong' style of ghost movies go, where they appear to someone in a plea to fix a mistake seen by many in the community who are grossly misled by the real perpetrators or part of it themselves, the horror comes from the fact that there's plenty of ghostly encounters out of nowhere or strange shocks that come up, but then drop off in order to invest in the mystery surrounding everything and finally at the end bring everything to a conclusion.
That's how this one plays out, and it certainly hits those familiar notes quite well and often in the beginning which usually pulls out the clichéd notion of the victim thinking they've gone crazy constantly seeing ghosts everywhere which does make for this one being so run-of-the-mill and ordinary during this main section of the film.
That the mystery this one becomes embroiled in has a pretty gruesome story at the center of it all does help the middle going while the teens investigate this and holds off the ghostly encounters until the end when the real culprit comes forward and centers the film around that new-found angle and brings back the ghostly happenings in a fun if admittedly dry finale.
There's not a whole lot of real true horror in this one in terms of bloodletting, gore, dead bodies or such as the ghosts' preference is to help initiate the investigation into why they're there and killing off the one who'll do that won't help matters, so as long as that factor isn't an issue, this is a fine effort.Rated Unrated/PG-13: Violence, Language, drug use and children-in-jeopardy..
If anything you understand the ghost(s) isn't going to hurt the protagonist and just wants her to know something, and it's all about finding out what that something is, so there's little threat involved.I enjoyed it though!
I found myself wanting to see the end and it wasn't a bad story overall.Worth a shot if you're into stories and can live without brilliant cinematography and things that'll come crawling out of your closet when you try to get to sleep afterwards.
I do wish the film had been longer and much more creepy scary (I really like it when my adrenaline starts pumping - those types of Haunting thrill movies are my favourite, but to each his own).
Of course it isn't the Hollywood ga-zillion dollar budget, but Iv'e seen LOW BUDGET Movies (10,000 to 300,000)A BIG difference.
There are some small plot holes but nothing major enough that I couldn't continue to watch the movie and enjoy it for what it offered.It also had some occasional surprising and interesting twists and was directed well thru out most of the film.
Appropriately creepy and realistic without being over done.If you are a thriller/haunted ghosts fan, and wont miss the intense scares/violence/blood, and perhaps enjoy a good lifetime movie on occasion, then this movie is right up your alley..
Almost a good horror movie....
I did like the interaction of the ghosts with the main character.
It's like the screenplay guy couldn't figure out how to end the movie and someone else came up with an idea to just get it over with.
And for a ghost movie it was anything but scary and below mediocrity.There were absolutely no scare moments in the movie, and there wasn't anything scary or even remotely horror to this.
And suffering from a poor storyline and a failure to scare, concentrating on the movie started to become a struggle, and it was hard not to pick up my phone and start doing something else.The story is about Jordan (played by Alix Elizabeth Gitter) who comes to a small town, where she finds a ring somewhere in the forest, and of course she puts it on.
The ring is linked to the dark past of an event that took place in the town, and Jordan starts to see the apparition of a dead girl, while coming closer and closer to the truth.I will say that the story did have some parts that could have been great, but ultimately failed to do so.
I think it was because the movie was predictable and because of the complete lack of scares, that the movie failed to entertain me.As for the actors and actresses in the movie, well I will say that they actually did good jobs with the roles they were given.
But they were fighting an uphill battle against a predictable storyline and a very mediocre chain of events throughout the entire movie.If you are looking for a good ghost movie to make the small hairs on the back of your neck stand up, you had better look elsewhere, because this movie will fail to do the trick.And to top it off, the movie starts out with "inspired by true events".
If seeing translucent ghosts with black eye shadow opening up their mouths in a silent scream, and hearing the creaking of doors opening by themselves sends shivers racing across your skin, then A Haunting at Silver Falls will be a terrifying experience.
If not, and you are after something more frightening, you might be better off watching A Haunted Mansion with Eddie Murphy, which proved to be a lot more atmospheric.This is not to say the film is terrible by any standard, it just isn't the kind of feature that anyone could ever mistake for a horror film, despite the distributor's attempts to pitch it as one.
Instead, it is more of an adolescent romance, shrouded by supernatural occurrences, which appears to have qualities reminiscent of the movie Twilight (minus the vampires).The film has its beneficial qualities that help grasp the audience's attention.
Jordan, a teenager, who has recently moved to a new town to live with her aunt and her husband, the only familial members she has left, finds herself inexplicably slipping a ring onto her finger that she finds in the woods one night after attending a party.
By doing so, Jordan inadvertently invites the ghost of a woman about her age into her life, who, was horrifically murdered, along with her twin.
In order to satisfy the spirit's thirst for justice, Jordan is inevitably spurred into uncovering the identity of the killer.Over the course of the film, the depth of character development is well orchestrated, which in turn helps conceive likable characters, and the occasionally funny, witty dialogue establishes a sense of comical relief.
This aside, there were instances that were not believable, and other aspects of the film that could have been better developed.The film opens with a young woman, running frantically through the woods, pretending to trip over as she attempts to hide from an unseen attacker; an introduction any horror film fanatic would have seen better executed at least half a dozen times before.
However, this criticism aside, these strategies allow the viewers to appreciate the ghosts as people, with human motivations.Furthermore, the relationship between Jordan and her paramour, Larry, was not a believable sub-plot.
On one hand we have Jordan - an utterly gorgeous young woman who could cause the heart of an iceberg to melt, while on the other we have Larry, a Napoleon Dynamite look-a-like, with issues regarding his confidence.
Despite the feature providing the audience with several characters who exhibited suspicious qualities, before the end, it was too obvious who the villain truly was.A Haunting at Silver Falls is not necessarily a movie you ought to avoid, but it isn't a film that will thoroughly entertain you either, and by the end, your thirst for a horror film will certainly not be quenched.
With a plot deserving of more twists and turns, and an atmosphere in need of a far darker ambiance, this is probably a film you will want to rent, rather than purchase..
A great B horror movie.
Overall, it was a good watch for a B movie.
However, the uphill battle against a mediocre rehash of every ghost movie ever made, coupled with wooden acting by most of the cast, doomed this movie from the start.
Same with the goofy boyfriend, who, by the way, would never get a second look from a teenage girl, especially with those ugly glasses.
The horror movies to be good at my opinion as a watch man or interested person should be directed perfectly and also to bring an actor who is able to show the reaction on his face and his/her movement like our actress.
and the way we see the ghost or the dead person is worst than classic horror.
The Points I give this movie are: Music 5/25 -- Visual Effect 2/25 -- Story 1/25 and ZERO for entertaining so the total points 8/100 (VERY BAD).
The beginning of a horror movie is often familiar to viewers.
Unfortunately, this movie failed on all counts.BAD ACTING: w/ the exception of the lead character and possibly the aunt, most of the characters were clichéd, unbelievable, & unsympathetic.
If everyone believed that these girls had either been delusional or copycats, the fact that Larry divulged vague details to Jordan about ghosts would be meaningless.
Jordan wasn't told anything about the twins or the fact that other girls had claimed to be "haunted." Larry's slip would in fact ONLY matter if her condition had a supernatural origin - an assumption not considered by anyone.
- The fact that one or both of the twins repeatedly tried to hurt/kill Jordan - but supposedly wanted to send a message – is contrived.
Either ghosts are evil & want to kill, or they have unfinished business & try to communicate w/ the living.
- If the ghosts could bring Jordan outside and nearly drown her in the bathtub, surely they would've been able to remove the ring from her finger.
You can't just reveal something supposedly crucial (i.e., the dad and the twins having parts of the same ring) at the eleventh hour & expect viewers to accept it.What was the purpose of revealing the aunt & uncle's drug habit?
LOOSE ENDS - What was the point of Robbie calling Jordan, saying she wasn't crazy & asking her to meet him?
It could have been used as clues to tie the twins' murder in with the subsequent deaths of the girls, and even Jordan's mother.
- Once we discover that the aunt & uncle had been responsible for all of the girls' purported "suicides," I realized that Jordan's mother was among this group.
I only gave it three stars due to the likable character of Jordan (played nicely by the lead actress), and the fact that I didn't predict the aunt's involvement in the murders..
The film doesn't try hard to be the next Exorcist or Amityville Horror and stands on its own feet as a ghost story that creates it's own genre.If you read the plot summary, whoever wrote it deserves to be shot, the whole summary is a big Spoiler.
Why anyone would write the whole premise and outline of a movie as a plot summary I can't for the life of me understand Which hopefully every horror/thriller fan won't read.
Jordan's father died, so she comes to live with her aunt Anne, her deceased mother's twin sister, and her uncle Kevin.
She goes on a date with Larry Parrish; Larry ends up being arrested for drug possession, and Jordan gets a ride home from Robbie.
Larry calls her parents and the Sheriff, who then stage an intervention.Jordan gets to meet Mr. Dahl, the father and the condemned killer of the twins, Heather and Holly Dahl.
These are the ghosts Jordan has been seeing.
They warn her that she is next.Jordan finds the third part of the ring, and information that she did not expect.Will Jordan make it out alive?------Scores-------Cinematography: 8/10 Fairly good, but had a few problems, at least on Netflix.Sound: 8/10 No particular problems.Acting: 8/10 Steve Bacic was great; Erick Avari, an enduring favourite, was even better.
Alix Elizabeth Gitter was fine as Jordan.Screenplay: 8/10 Liked the story..
Characters were actually decent, could be trained more, but the main cast, especially Alix Elizabeth Gitter (Jordan in the movie) played the part well.
People complain about the acting, but you get past that pretty quick.Kind of a scary theme for a movie.Yes there was a cheesy part where the ghost cast a shadow when it was leading her to the bar, however that did not overshadow the movie.The ending was pretty sweet, how justice was served.I would seriously give this a try, you will not be disappointed..
Suffice to say hugely impressed by the quality of the movie and wish I had watched it sooner.Every aspect of the production was good but it was story arc and the twists in the plot that really makes it stand out.
For anyone who may consider paying any sort of credence to that ridiculous number I would suggest you pay no attention and watch the movie for yourself.The acting as a whole was very good but there were two fantastic performances that need mentioning in Alix Elizabeth Gitter as Jordan and Tara Westwood as her psychotic aunt.
Firstly I think Jordan's lack of friends or lack of emphasis on her social life other than the two love interests hinders the movie.
However, they don't mention Robbie afterwards or explain whether he just gave up and went home or continued to wait.The highest praise of all should be awarded to the ending of the movie and how satisfying it was.
If anything there should have been more of a struggle between the Aunt/Uncle and Larry/Jordan as it ends up being quite an easy comeuppance.
On that note the ending does come about rather quickly, so in retrospect they could have made it a bit longer to allow for everything to sink in and to explain where Jordan goes from here.
Its like a olden day movie with ghostly girls following a person, the ghost wants the real story of what happened told and attatches to the main character.
The costumes for the ghost girls was also very real, it shows them the way they were found when they died.
There's no blood or guts like todays horror movies display.
The ghosts are a set of twins this time.
And while their makeup and look is precisely what you'd imagine (whether that's a good or bad thing depends on whether or not you like innovation or tradition), the actual ghost effects are flat out terrible, and the ghosts are just on screen too often, robbing them of any sense of mystery.The acting is mostly tolerable, though the villains are unconvincing.
The actual filmmaking is perfectly sound for a B-movie, it's just that there isn't much to work with.
It's the kind of movie you would watch on TV if there wasn't anything else on.
There are several events in the movie that are very difficult to buy even when you are very good at suspending disbelief.
A prison system that would allow teenage girls to talk to a man on death row about to be executed for murdering his daughters because a psychiatrist thought it might be therapeutic.
It's okay, good enough to watch all the way through if you have nothing better to do.
I feel like they could have done a lot more for the story line..
This film had decent actors and the scenery and camera work was also better than other B horror movies I've scene.
For example, you are supposed to believe that on the night of a man's execution a psychologist from a small town arranges for some random teen to visit with the prisoner while he eats his last meal because the good doctor thinks it might help her with some hallucinations she's been having.
Secondly, this movie was rife with story lines and characters that went nowhere.
Like many characters in the film he offered nothing to story, he was just filler.Thirdly, the dialog was painful at times.
Most of the things they had to say were either so unnatural it's a wonder no one stopped and demanded a rewrite or it was so nonsensical you'd think they stop, raise their hands and point out that it made no sense because watching it I sure wanted to.Lastly, this movie had no logical consistency.
First the ghosts are attacking the girl, alternating between trying to kill her and get a ring off her finger.
Expected another generic ghost movie but this was a bit different..
I googled "A Haunting at Silver Falls Academy Awards" and was surprised to find that this movie won none - not even for the guy in the glasses.
It was a bold move to start making out with Jordan in the basement while those twin ghosts tore her "aunt" and "uncle" to shreds.