If nice costumes, decent sets, beautiful lighting and a talented cast were enough for a great movie, this film would be very good. Unfortunately, it is also important to have a great screenplay, appropriate music and camera work, and original special effects.
The original story of the Bell Witch (not the book this is based on) was written by a member of the family that experienced the haunting, and contains some of the most intriguing and unique events in the history of the paranormal. None of these events were captured in this movie. Aside from the main characters and a few of the more mundane aspects of the haunting, the writers and director chose instead to fill it up with a tedious litany of unimaginative horror movie clichés. Apparently, they were either woefully unfamiliar with the original source material, or unwisely chose to jettison it in favor of this tacky reinterpretation.
Although the lighting is very pretty and works nicely with the production design, the camera work is strictly B movie cheese, particularly when the "witch" appears via drunkenly whirling POVs that were tired way back in the 80s.
The music is pathetic: a generic Mickey Mouse score more appropriate for a TV bodice ripper than a period piece. A truly talented composer would have captured the flavor of the era, as well as created suspense instead of alternating currents of boredom and bombast.
In fact, the entire soundtrack is annoying, with the mix veering between low, often barely articulate dialog to booming blasts of music to let us know that we're now supposed to be frightened by the flaring candles and other cheapo EFX.
Equally inappropriate are the synthesized demon growls, which only remind us that we're watching a bad movie that wanted to be The Exorcist. No such luck.
Skip the movie... and skip the book it was based on (since the writer collaborated on this POS) and scour the earth for a copy of Richard Bell's original book. It's a delightful read, with all the creepiness and atmosphere that this film is sorely lacking.
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