The Haunted is a made for TV movie that tells the story of Jack and Janet Smurl who, with their four kids and Jack’s parents, move into a duplex where strange things start to happen. After ten years the strange things begin to take on a more sinister tone. At first it’s only Janet and Jack’s mother who are hearing voices and seeing apparitions but it isn’t long before the whole family realizes their house holds something evil.

After getting no help from the Church they get in touch with a couple of psychic researchers who put them in contact with a priest who performs an exorcism on their home with temporary results. At their wits end the Smurls decide to contact the media in hopes of finding someone who can put an end to things once and for all. Unfortunately they discover when it comes to having the media camped on your lawn alongside weirdoes and charlatans the demon thing really isn’t so bad after all.

This film is based on the book The Haunted: One Family’s Nightmare which was written by Robert Curran with help from the Smurls and famous psychic researchers Lorraine and Ed Warren. A brief search online showed me conflicting information and differing opinions on what really happened in the house but its pretty compelling stuff no matter if you believe or disbelieve.

A few things make this an effective movie. First of all the characters are not beautiful people. The parents, the kids; they could be your family or neighbors. Here was the average family in peril and I could totally buy it. Second, the effects weren’t over the top. The scares came mostly from whispers or banging or the pressure of something unseen touching you. If you’re looking for Amityville ooze keep looking.

Sally Kirkland really brought it, nervously chain smoking and wide eyed with desperation as she begged people to please help her and her family. She could have come off as silly or hammy but managed to keep it subdued while still conveying despair and hopelessness. Jeffery DeMunn who played Jack Smurl wasn’t so lucky. And while I typed that last line I just realized his name is pronounced “demon.” Hee! Jack looked bored the whole time even when being raped by a demon in the film’s one very goofy, cheeseball scene complete with quick cuts and hot pink lighting.

This movie isn’t available to rent or buy but you can catch it on the pay channels pretty often. It’s worth a watch but I wouldn’t recommend spending money on any of the versions you can find online. It’s basically the made for TV version of The Entity mixed with The Amityville Horror (and Poltergeist and The Exorcist and…well you get the idea) and while that’s not necessarily a bad thing it’s not anything you haven’t seen before either.

6 out of 10 old women who can’t be moved out of the home because her heart can’t handle the move yet manages to not drop dead while being stalked by a demon and helping out during an exorcism.