Horror Movie Review: A Haunting in Salem (2011)

A Haunting in Salem is a 2011 3D horror film directed by Shane Van Dyke and starring Bill Oberst Jr., Courtney Abbiati, Jenna Stone and Nicholas Harsin.

Not only did I not watch this movie in 3D but I wasn’t even aware it was supposed to be a 3D movie until afterwards. There are moments of things coming at the screen, as is par for the course with 3D, but they’re so uneventful it means nothing. It won’t enhance or detract from the film. As what we have here is a decent horror movie. One that uses the Salem witch trials of 1692 as its story inspiration.

Wayne (Oberst Jr.) and his family have moved to Salem where he is to become the new Sheriff. The family are staying a large, old house with a very dark past. A past that is directly related to the dark events of the town overall.

Will Wayne and his family be able to overcome the evil that surrounds them? Or will their own dark past add to the horror they will experience?

A middling paranormal horror that starts strongly and slowly loses steam over its runtime. A lot of the scares and shocks have been seen countless times and A Haunting in Salem fails to add anything fresh here. The real chills come from the house more than anything.

That being said, it has some cheesy charm especially when it comes to kills. Massively aided by a cast who are unconvincing a lot of the time. Not Bill Oberst Jr. though, he delivers a solid performance akin to his wide array of horror work. Very believable as a damaged man trying to move forward with his life. The rest of the cast… not so much. Line delivery is a major component of the lacklustre acting and you might find yourself cringing on occasion.

Thankfully, A Haunting in Salem doesn’t overstay its welcome and a particularly dark finale helps take its quality back up a notch. A strong start and a strong finish. It’s just the iffy middle portion that bogs it down.