Sightings: Heartland Ghost (2002) watch online HD

Viewers may recall the Sci-Fi Channel series, SIGHTINGS which covered all manner of paranormal happenings around the world. Well, one case they investigated defied all explanations and brought comparisons to the most infamous US "Poltergeist" case, The Bell Witch of Tennessee. Like the Bell Witch, The Heartland Ghost case, as it was dubbed, consisted of all manner of phenomena but by far the most distressing were the multiple physical attacks directed toward the Dad in the house. He was scratched repeatedly and the cameras even managed to capture these attacks on film. Well, it was probably inevitable that there would be a movie about this someday and this attempt to cover the events is about as good as you can expect.

The film covers the basic story of the young couple with a child who buy the Victorian house as a fixer-upper and encounter cold spots, flying objects, slamming doors, electrical weirdness and so on. The film contrasts the basic skepticism of the dad and the SIGHTINGS Producers with the convictions of a Ghost Hunter played by Miguel Ferrer. As a dramatic device, we are treated to flashbacks of the various possible ghosts lives and dream sequences. These interludes are not so fantastic as to be annoying and they move the story along. In the real case, the names of the alleged ghosts and their background were uncovered through research.

Overall, this is an above average TV Movie about a disturbing apparent Haunting or Poltergeist. Unlike the silliness of TV Movies based on the exploits of the self-styled Demon-Hunters, Ed and Lorraine Warren, this movie simply lets the story unfold with a minimum of preaching. There isn't any sanctimonoius bible-waving or Holy water sprinkling and the SIGHTINGS crew and their Psychics are not portrayed as the afflicted family's saviors. In the Warrens' films, they are always shown to be the equivilant of Father Merrin in demon-infested homes of surburbia!

THE HEARTLAND GHOST is a straightforward retelling of the events in a sleepy Kansas community that which drew in a fairly serious investigation by a Television show dedicated to just such happenings. The Case was rarity for SIGHTINGS since they were there as the events unfolded as opposed to merely retelling the story afterwards which was what they usually did on their show. The SIGHTINGS teams camped out at the house with all manner of equipment and came away with more questions than answers. As a film, the story works but it doesn't come down on one side or the other. It does show the terrible toll the events took on the life of the young family whose whole world was turned upside down.

For viewers who saw the original SIGHTINGS Episodes on The Heartland Ghost, this film is a nice overview. For those that didn't, it's a decent introduction to the case.

In a provincial small town in Kansas, the low middle class young couple Jeff (Gabriel Olds) and Pam (Thea Gill) invests all their savings in an old mansion. Their intention is to restore the house and sell it, making good money. However, ghosts haunt them, and Pam decides to call the skeptical reporter Derek (Beau Bridges) and his crew, specialized in paranormal phenomena and formed by Lou (Nia Long), Allen (Miguel Ferrer) and the cameraman. There they realize that the situation is real and the unrevealed truth about a former family who lived in that house. This movie is another reasonable (television) movie about haunted house. There is nothing special or different in this story from other similar movies about this repeated theme, but may entertain. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): ` Amaldiçoados Pelo Passado' (`Cursed by the Past')

I like haunted house stories and this is a fun one to watch. The plot centers on whether or not the haunting is real and, thankfully, it spares us the typical screaming, gore, and fake monsters that are NOT scary. All that latex is just a reminder that I am watching a movie and quite rudely inserts the filmmaker between the film and me. Despite the positive aspects of the film, though, there is a flash of breasts which is pointless and perfunctory.

Nevertheless, this is a well-acted movie--underacted, if anything, which is a rarity within this genre and quite refreshing to see. Beau Bridges is a credit to any cast; he is so comfortable with his craft he appears not to be acting. His agreeable manner and blue-collar charm make him seem as though he is a beloved and much-missed family member. Likewise, Miguel Ferrer is a welcome talent who can sleepwalk through this part, which is far beneath his extensive ability. The character is sketchy and doesn't always adhere to the expected behavior of its personality or background. However, the character's inconsistencies are not due to the complexity of character we all have, but rather a lack of complexity.

This is not a frightening movie and not altogether memorable, but if you want to just kick back and watch a satisfying movie, this is a good one to watch.

This movie is based from a true story, right? I remember that I saw it from a TV show SIGHTINGS some time ago but never known until last night it was made for a TV movie too. Personally I quite like this movie, it still caught my attention through from the beginning to the end even I know the summary. I saw it alone after midnight and let me tell you it was really getting me scared and feeling like bewaring my back!!! If you used to see what was going on in real life with that family from tape of SIGHTINGS you know this movie is not bad. Not kind of making you jump from scary faces but gradually making you chill. It's good one!!! Watch it alone by yourself after midnight and remember it's something that really happened. Of course I don't know if it was true but if you just following like I said you will found how this movie could be scared. If you like kind of supernatural movie, fake or not I don't know, you will enjoy this film.

Good premise has a paranormal TV-series investigating a poltergeist/haunting in Kansas. This is based on a true story (as featured in the series "Sightings") but comes off a dull and limp. Perhaps some actual footage from the series itself would've spiced things up a bit. It appears earnest at times but never believable. Worse of all is the POV shots from the "spirits" in the house, which feature distorted fish-eyed lens and creepy sounds. Not really scary at all, which is a real shame but at least it manages to hold your interest a little bit. The set up is really a good one but lack of actual footage is a nagging hindrance.

I wasn't expecting much from this one, and that's exactly what I got. "True story," indeed. And Bambi is a nature documentary.

Where to begin? Without any knowledge of its origins, I had it identified as a TV movie in minutes. The lighting was flat. The actors walked through scene after scene like cardboard cutouts. The monster "effects" - almost makes them sound legit, doesn't it? - amounted to a wide-angle lens and some color saturation. Dreadful. This is the same low-budget effect that became popular with the zero-budget crowd: that monster point of view with Sega colors.

The thing that plucked this turkey, though, was the screenplay. The attempts at emotional depth were laughable. Every time one of the characters opened their mouths, I knew they were going to utter some completely clichéd and idiotic thing. I was never disappointed.

Sorry about the venom, folks, but I don't want anybody wasting rental money on this one. Beau Bridges, why have you forsaken me?

As a person familiar with the case itself, the movie on its own was good, but I'm of the opinion that if the story isn't sensational enough to make it on its own, don't make up stuff to make it a good movie. I would say about 90% of the events portrayed were complete BS as to what allegedly happened.

That said, the movie held my interest until the "shout at the ghost/fire" scene that seems to be prerequisite in ghost films. Very well acted and a good story. Beau Bridges is great in it, although it always frustrates me when people claim to have an open mind but instead are only open minded about what they believe in.

Another ghost movie I saw some years ago. It is not worth your time. It is boring. The biggest sin a movie can commit - being uninteresting and boring.

Migel Ferrer I have always liked, but it is very clear he only took this role for the paycheck. A paycheck I can't imagine having been very big.

Very little happens in this movie, and there is nothing that stands out, there is not much I remember at all. Anyone saying this is good is from the crew.

Stay clear of this one, it is not scary at all.

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.

"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

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.

I watched this movie on our satillite dish late at night by myself. The movie didn't scare me as much as what was happening while I watched it. During the first half of the movie the volume would come and go. I did not have any problems with any other stations or have any problems before or after. Then I left the living room to go to the kitchen and our stereo turned on by itself. The timer is not set on it and the time is flashing. The remote was on end table and our cat was asleep on the loveseat far away from the remote. NO it did not fall. I was wondering if anyone else had any strange things go one when they watched this movie?!!! Or any other movie??? I am usually one that keeps an open mind but still skeptical. I enjoy paranormal stuff as an amusement.