Synopsis
A teenager is stuck in a time loop that is not quite the same each time. She must uncover the truth but her actions have consequences for herself and others.
2013 Directed by Vincenzo Natali
A teenager is stuck in a time loop that is not quite the same each time. She must uncover the truth but her actions have consequences for herself and others.
Assombração, Infernal, Привид, La noche del fantasma, 附身, ハウンター:2013, Призрачна история, Vražedná minulost, Haunter - Jenseits des Todes, צייד, ハウンター, 악령, Istnienie, Assombrada pelo Passado, Лимб, Vražedná minulosť, Preganjalec, Несмирени дух, Hayaletli Ev, Лімб
"History doesn't repeat itself. It rhymes."
Lisa is stuck in a time loop of sorts. Everyday she wakes up to the day before she turned sixteen. Unable to leave her house through the thick fog outside and forced to repeat the same routine everyday she grows increasingly frustrated until she discovers details that aren't always the same. Shortly after she hears a disembodied voice and phenomena that resemble a haunting. Her strange predicament is about to lead her on a journey to discover the truth behind her tortuous ordeal, and the lives of another family will be changed forever by her actions.
Haunter is one of those lower profile horror films that I discovered either on Netflix or DVD not…
“If you...” blah blah blah “you and your family will suffer in ways you cannot fathom.”
It's sort of my dream that Little Miss Sunshine (Abigail Breslin) will dominate Hollywood and continue to be in blockbuster after blockbuster so I can watch a film with an actress who 1) is likable and 2) knows how to act.
This so-called horror film wasn't it. There's a time loop reminiscent of Groundhog's Day. I was sitting there thinking that I've seen this all before and there was nothing redeeming at the end.
Glad that Abigail Breslin is getting work, but please someone hand her a good script.
Vegan alert:
-Meatloaf for dinner every night
-Mac'n'cheese
-Ice cream reference
Vegan points:
Abigail Breslin's character says, “meat is murder”
& IT'S ABOUT TIME
And another edition of...
Will You Like... HAUNTER?
To find out, answer the following quiz questions, allot the question’s worth (in brackets) and tally your score at the end...
(Not much of a spoiler given the title and the immediate debriefing in the first minutes of the film...)
Do you like...
Groundhog Dog (+4)
The Lovely Bones (+4)
The Others (+4)
The Black Phone (+3)
Before I Fall (+2)
Stephen King TV adaptations (+1)
Frequency (+1)
Poltergeist (+1)
And if you don't like, deduct:
Mike Flanagan-style TV series horror (-3)
Network-friendly or helpful ghost stories (-2)
YOUR SCORE:
15-20 points: I have high confidence that you’ll love this (4-5 stars)
10-15 points:…
This is obviously intended to be a clever riff on the haunted house theme, but it falls down mainly due the turgid plotting and plenty of blatantly obvious plot twists. Groundhog Day is clearly an influence and the film begins with the idea of a young girl who has realised that she is waking up in the same day again and again. Basically the entire film is set in a single location with a small handful of characters. Director Vincenzo Natali tries to keep things interesting with a series of small mysteries but there's very little interest once what is going on becomes clear (and that doesn't take long!) The acting is decent enough, with Abigail Breslin doing well in…
An interesting twist on the typical ghost story, "Haunter" is a film best seen knowing as little about its secrets as possible. (That being said, this review will avoid all but the most general descriptions of its plot.) The narrative is built around a house with a secret, a malevolent spirit, and a protagonist who is at odds with both the house and the spirit. It is a compelling tale, and its conceit (which, again, will not be spoiled here) provides the film a healthy serving of dramatic energy.
"Haunter" is a moody supernatural melodrama that unfolds slowly but satisfyingly. The film offers foggy, shadowy atmosphere and crisp production details. A pleasing, neo-gothic tone is generated by both the story and the look of the film. This is not a great or particularly memorable horror film, but it is watchable and effective. "Haunter" is a small-scale ghost story that works quite nicely.
So, I took another spin on the Netflix Instant roulette tonight, and somehow stopped on this. At first I was going back and forth on whether or not I'd made a huge mistake, but I have to admit I actually got fairly engrossed in this at some point and despite its obvious low budget origins I ended up kinda, sorta, half-heartedly liking this. Abigail Breslin isn't going to win an Oscar anytime soon, and parts of this were pretty pedestrian but the story is original and it mostly held my interest. You could definitely do a lot worse picking an Instant Watch at random.
Haunter beginnt als düsterer Zeitschleifenfilm, entwickelt sich aber ziemlich schnell zu einem Geisterhaushorror mit einigen interessanten Ideen und Wendungen.
Abigail Breslin als angepisste Teenagerin weiß in der etwas wirren Geschichte absolut zu überzeugen.
The Letterboxd Era Project 5: The Last One
When they do a sequel to this it will be called Gengar.
Crap detector blaring!
Warning! Warning! Warning!
Take Cover immediately before she blows!
This movie really takes the scenic route. It utilizes cheap visual effects and has some bad performances. It's rather frustrating at times.
But I totally teared up at the end.