An interesting twist on a classic haunted house story. We are introduced to a rebellious, moody teenage girl named Lisa (Abigail Breslin). We find out pretty quickly that Lisa and her family are reliving the same day over and over and over again, and she is the only one who realizes it. I guess I would be pretty moody too. After Lisa starts trying to get her family to realize they are doing the same thing over and over, the daily events start changing in little ways. During these changes she meets her protagonist, the Pale Man (Stephen McHattie) and learns he is the one keeping her and her family trapped. Although scared, Lisa starts hearing a girl whispering her name and goes searching for answers: Why is her family trapped, who is the psycho in their house, and who is calling out to her asking for help? These questions are all answered but I will not be the one to ruin any of the surprises for you.
I was impressed with how the Little Miss Sunshine actress has developed her acting skills. She makes her character believable and experiences a wide array of emotions, which she pulls off very well. It should be noted too that the actors that play Lisa’s parents (Michelle Nolden and Peter Outerbridge) had standout performances.
I would not consider this story a horror movie, but definitely a thriller. There are a couple of jumpy moments, but nothing so terrifying that would keep non-horror movie lovers from watching this film. There are overlapping timelines that keep the viewer guessing and several “dark” moments that build tension. I realized as I was watching that there were several visual clues to help guess the storyline. I will be rewatching it to look harder for them and see how they helped the story move along. The story was novel and very entertaining, but I felt that the climax was too quick. I would have liked to see the mystery end in a more exciting manner, but I’d say Haunter is definitely worth watching.
