User Reviews

POTENTIAL MINOR SPOILERS: I usually turn on SciFi on Saturdays to kill time with cheesy flicks but this was better than the usual fare. The acting was very good, as could be expected from actors like Bridges, Ferrer, and Nia Long but even the actors I had not heard of were far better than I had anticipated. I remember seeing the incident the movie is based on on the TV show "Sightings" (and the house has been featured on other paranormal shows as well). Of course, the movie appeared to take poetic license with some events. The worst bits were some of the effects (when you can "see" what the ghosts are seeing), and the acting on part of the bad guy (in the visions) was pretty over the top (not in a good way). But in all the cast kept things pretty low key and that helps the movie avoid going over the top.

One suspects there will never be a time when ghost stories won't have an appeal. Perhaps because no matter how rational we are, we will always fear the strange and unknown, even more so if it turns out to have some basis in reality. In the 1990s, the cult TV series Sightings featured just such a case as part of its kaleidoscope of programming involving a family in Kansas and the spirits in their home. In 2002, sometime after the series ended, those segments inspired the made for TV movie Sightings: Heartland Ghost which dramatized the case and the family at the heart of it.

Unquestionably, the movie has plenty going for it. The real-life case unfolded on TV across nearly five years, giving plenty of source material for veteran screenwriter Phil Penningroth to draw upon in creating his script. Indeed, the various Sightings crew (including host Tim White in a somewhat rare on-location visit) captured on tape some positively surprising moments. The casting looked solid with the ever dependable Beau Bridges and Miguel Ferrer in leading roles alongside a cast of Canadian character actors. The potential was there to be sure.

Did the film live up to it? Yes and no.

Yes, at least in many of the places that matter. The casting is firm for the most part with Bridges being an effective company leader as the skeptical producer confronting the paranormal alongside his team of Nia Long as his researcher and Matthew Currie Holmes as his at times obnoxious cameraman Nolan. Miguel Ferrer, best known for his rougher-edged or more disagreeable performances, gets a rare chance to play a softer role as the psychic Allen (based on the show's semi-resident psychic Peter James who visited the house). The supporting cast is a bit more mixed with Gabriel Olds and Thea Gill seemingly mismatched to an extent as the couple at the heart of the haunting while Rachel Hayward is effective in her role as electronics expert Jamie. Other parts are a bit more stock and less showy with equally mixed results.

The film has other positives going for it as well. Despite being shot in Canada, the film does an admirable job of capturing the Kansas location and a decent reproduction/take of the house at the center of things. The cinematography of Bert Dunk and the direction are above average for a TV movie with Australian director Brian Trenchard-Smith bringing his strengths for visuals and pacing to proceedings. Last but not least is the score from Peter Bernstein which has its share of striking moments to it, adding some atmosphere to proceedings though it does find itself hampered at times, as does the entire production. On the whole, while one wouldn't mistake it for a Hollywood film, it does a respectable job under the circumstances.

What hampers it is the script and some of the decisions made in bringing the case to the screen. Writer Penningroth might have had plenty to draw from, and to his credit, he works in many of the highlights from the coverage on the parent show into proceedings such as scratches forming with no warning or apparent cause on camera. There is, as to be expected, some dramatic license involved such as condensing the scale of time down to a single visit by a single Sightings crew rather than a multi-year set of visits by different units, all understandable given the nature of a ninety-odd minute TV movie. Where the script and, ultimately, the film itself runs into trouble is that Penningroth engages in almost every single cliche of the haunted house/paranormal investigation genre you can throw at it from Bridges' cynical investigator to skeptical townsfolk claiming its all a hoax to a member of the couple who thinks the other is overreacting and even a "cute" ending (for lack of a better phrase) tacked on at the end. Add on a couple of questionable choices involving nudity and a wandering eye-ball camera with different filters on it representing ghosts point of view and the film has a cheap, hookey feeling. But perhaps is that hookey feeling more apparent than in the attempts to recreate those images that will be familiar to viewers of the Sightings segments on the hauntings rather than using the compelling real footage, something of a missed opportunity to tie back into the parent series.

In the end, Sightings: Heartland Ghost is serviceable, respectable even. And yet, despite the cast and some of the better decisions made in the production, it suffers from glaring issues that make a less than perfect piece of work. There's a potentially great haunting film to be made of the Heartland Ghost events but this doesn't quite hit the mark. But, if you're looking for something to watch on a rainy afternoon or on a dark evening, you could do a whole lot worse than this little movie.

"Sightings: Heartland Ghost" is an incredibly enjoyable if slightly flawed ghost film.

**SPOILERS**

Known for his debunking abilities, Derek Mulroy, (Beau Bridges) and his team, Lou, (Nia Long) Allen, (Miguel Ferrer) and Nolan, (Matthew Currie Holmes) are soon excited about a new case. Traveling to High River, Nebraska, they meet up with Jeff Mason, (Gabriel Olds) and his wife Pam, (Thea Gill) who believe that they're house is haunted. After getting a look and feel for the house, they experience several weird phenomena that all equate to supernatural beings. Remaining skeptical, they find that he is the target of a group of ghosts who have ties to him going back centuries, and become fully aware of what they're fighting. As the attacks get more severe, they try to solve the hauntings and rid the family of the ghosts.

The Good News: As a supernatural haunting film, this one wasn't all that bad. The fact that it has some really nice haunting scenes for such a film is a big plus and derives most of it's good points. The initial sequence, which is one of the single creepiest ideas ever, is pulled off marvelously, making the already spooky scene carry even more weight, and unlike most ghostly action is carried out in front of an audience rather than just the intended targets, and since this is the first sign of something going on it really packs a wallop and gets the viewers in the right mind-frame over what the upcoming events will be like. The later ones don't disappoint either, as there's a wonderful candle trick along the walls of the house, the appearance of the photographs submitted for the investigation and the erotic dream which come into play as really great ones. Even whole sequences, as the first walk-through when they arrive has some solid moments, namely in the bedroom when the psychic gets involved and the whole ghost-busting finale, where it gets high-tech to be able to detect what's going on and being able to find some creepy ideas, from the thermal imaging to the scars and visible temperature decease being good examples. Basically, this one works whenever it features a haunting, even though there is more good points on hand. The concept of the ghost-vision, here accomplished through a swirling, green-dominated view-point is rather clever and really unique, helping it to stick out more. The fact that it doesn't restrict the haunting to a castle or a Gothic location but rather just a farmhouse is a nice touch, as there's a realistic ability to it that really works, giving it a sense of realism about the whole affair. The last good part is the film's back-story, which is creepy, clever and really nice, using the clichéd to work up a nice twist that drives the action nicely and forcing some creative ideas to come forth. These are the film's good points.

The Bad News: This one here had a few small flaws with it. The main one is that the middle of the film is really devoid of supernatural affairs, tending to appear a little dull at times. Considering this is an experienced research team, it makes little sense that they don't do the field-work until after they've gotten there and already experienced something, which here is pretty good but it still takes a while for them to go out and find out what's going on. There's a couple scenes here where it's just long sequences of them just going on and on about the back-story present at the location and that tends to make the film a little dull during those times as it's just filled with the back-story of the house, and that tends to cut into the supernatural hauntings that would be present, which really could've been fixed by having it go the other way around and investigate before arriving, thereby making them seem a little more on-top-of matters when they get there. The other part here is the rampant skepticism on display, which as the center of so many conversations is brought into the spotlight often enough for it to be a real problem, as the sheer number of them are quite aggravating and annoying. Aside from these two points, though, the film doesn't have much else to hurt it.

The Final Verdict: While not one of the all-time best entries in the genre, this one is still good enough to warrant a viewing based on a couple great moments. Give this a shot if you're into the more realistic ghost films or need a somewhat decent entry, though those looking for more active fare should heed caution.

Rated R: Graphic Language, Nudity and Violence

I actually thought this movie was far better than most of the others like it, even those made more recently.

Since the success of Ghost Hunters and Paranormal Activity the movie industry has been churning out tons of movies where paranormal investigators - some skeptics some believers - have gone into a supposedly haunted locale to prove or debunk the claims only to run up against real supernatural events. Most of them go the unfortunate route of trying to look like found footage. Most rely on annoying night vision shots to build suspense and sadly, most use the same tired old clichéd activity and sudden jump scenes to achieve their scares. Worst of all the acting is generally horrible in these films with characters that are flat and unlikable. They could all go back and learn a lesson from this movie.

This movie relies on a strong back story to support the events going on in the haunted house. The events themselves are really interesting. Toys levitating, vivid dreams, automatic(ish) drawing. The acting was very good, particularly Beau Bridges character and the actor playing the psychic, Allen. They were perfect in their roles and the rest of the cast supported them wonderfully. The ghosts when seen were spooky yet real looking instead of the overdone white faced, bug eyed, ratty hair ghosts that are so prevalent today.

I truly enjoyed this movie.