The Haunted (Directed by Robert Mandel) 1991

This is one of those scary American television movies that to some extent shouldn't have worked due to its rather fuzzy production. American t.v. movies worked best back in the '70s and early '80s with the likes of 'Trilogy of Terror' but 'The Haunted,' based on an alleged true story involving the Smurl family, is one of those rare gems. It's a pretty much straight forward haunted house movie but it doesn't really on cheap effects to get its point across and plays out like a modern mix of 'The Haunting' and 'The Amityville Horror,' with reasonably strong acting and a few creepy moments. Although the television adaptation differs from the book of the same name, it still has the quality of a late night t.v. movie and I'm unaware of this ever made to dvd. The film however is far greater entertainment than all of these modern horrors, and is best known for its creepy scene involving the father and daughter - whom becomes possessed by a demon and attempts to ravage her dad! 'The Haunted' isn't the greatest ghost story ever told, but it does a good job.