In this reverse ghost story, teenager Lisa Johnson (Abigail Breslin) and her family died in 1986 under sinister circumstances but remain trapped in their house, unable to move on. Over a period of six “days”, Lisa must reach out from beyond the grave to help her present-day, living counterpart, Olivia, avoid the same fate Lisa and her family suffered.
Haunter is a Canadian supernatural horror film directed by Vincenzo Natali, written by Brian King, and starring Abigail Breslin. The film premiered at the 2013 South by Southwest Film Festival, and was picked up for U.S. distribution there by IFC Midnight.
Haunter was filmed at Toronto and Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Production took 25 days. Natali said that he was drawn to the film because, unlike Splice, which took him twelve years to complete, Haunter only needed to be shot.
Haunter premiered at South by Southwest film festival on March 9, 2013, and received a limited US theatrical release on October 18, 2013. It was released on home video on February 11, 2014, and made $129,447 on domestic video sales.
About the Story (2013)
Lisa Johnson, the ghost of a teenage girl who becomes aware that she is dead, haunts a house somewhere in northern Ontario. Along with her parents and brother, who are unaware that they are dead, she is stuck on the same day they were murdered in 1985. As she becomes more aware of her circumstances, she realizes that she can make contact with people in other timelines. As she explores this ability, a pale man appears and warns her to stop. Undeterred, Lisa uses personal items from other people killed in the house to make a connection with Olivia, part of a family living in the house in the future who will become the next set of victims.
With the help of Olivia and the spirits of other murdered girls, Lisa is transported into the timelines of other victims and unravels the mystery of the house. She causes her family to come to terms with the knowledge that they are dead, and thus “awakened” they become able to assist her. After her family escapes to the afterlife, Lisa stays behind to stop the murderous evil spirit who haunts the house. With help from the evil spirit’s family (the original victims), Lisa overcomes him and rescues another family from suffering the same fate. Thus breaking the cycle of possessions and murder-suicides, Lisa awakes, no longer reliving the same day.
Haunter (2013)
Directed by: Vincenzo Natali
Starring: Abigail Breslin, Sarah Manninen, Stephen McHattie, David Hewlett, Peter Outerbridge, Michelle Nolden
Screenplay by: Brian King, Matthew Brian King
Production Design by: Peter Cosco
Cinematography by: Jon Joffin
Film Editing by: Michael Doherty
Costume Design by: Patrick Antosh
Art Direction by: Ian Hall
Music by: Alex Khaskin
MPAA Rating; None.
Studio: IFC Films
Release Date: October 25, 2013
Visits: 36
