Haunter is a 2013 Canadian supernatural horror film directed by Vincenzo Natali (Splice), written by Brian King, and starring Abigail Breslin, Peter Outerbridge, Michelle Nolden and Stephen McHattie. The film premiered at the 2013 South by Southwest Film Festival, and was picked up for U.S. distribution there by IFC Midnight.
Plot teaser:
15-year-old Lisa (Breslin) lives with her father Bruce (Peter Outerbridge), mother Carol (Michelle Nolden) and little brother Robbie (Peter DaCunha). However, she is the only one in her family who realises they are repeatedly living out the same day in 1985 – the day before her 16th birthday. As she investigates, she learns that she and her family were killed and and are trapped in the day of their death. She manages to make contact with Olivia (Eleanor Zichy), a girl from a family presently living in the house, who helps Lisa discover that previous occupants of her home have met a similar fate. Can Lisa find a way to put a stop to the murders in time to save Olivia and her family?
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Reviews:
“As most ghost stories do, Haunter winds up becoming a murder mystery as well, and its creators carry off the combination smoothly and pay off both sets of expectations satisfyingly. There are a few good jolts along the way, though for the most part, Haunter aims and succeeds at keeping you caught up in its atmosphere and guessing, along with poor Lisa, about what will happen next and why.” Fangoria
“Vincenzo Natali’s films are always a pleasant surprise. The director tends to bring an enormous amount of depth and subtle visual pageantry to his films that we can easily acknowledge. Haunter is carefully constructed by Natali for audiences to absorb in an engaged and thought-provoking fashion.” Canadian Film Review
“Haunter is one of those films that I want to love. Its cast is great, its premise is solid, and its execution sturdy, but the result is less than the sum of its parts rather than greater than them. That’s not a terrible criticism, so fans of Breslin or McHattie will certainly want to check this film out, as will fans of Natali’s other films. Haunted house fans will especially find something to love in the slightly offbeat take on the genre.” DVD Verdict
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