"Haunter" is a dime-a-dozen horror export from our friendly neighbors to the north. The story pits Abigail Breslin against Stephen McHattie, both of whom are worse for wear after having been involved with this hot mess.
Breslin plays Lisa, the ghost of a teenage girl stuck in a state of limbo, doomed to live out the day before her 16th birthday on repeat. Along the way, she discovers a plethora of teenage girls who have died in a similar fashion at the hands of Edgar, a murderer who has haunted the house for decades.
After a failed ouija séance, Lisa finds she can connect with a few of the girls via their personal items. Upon making contact with the girl who currently lives at the house (named Olivia), Lisa vows to save her from repeating a similar fate as her and the other girls by getting rid of Edgar once and for all.
The initial plot is all well and good, but it soon takes a series of convoluted turns for the worse. Watching Breslin connect the pieces to an already-assembled puzzle is not only mind-numbing but insulting to boot. Not to mention, McHattie is all but wasted in the role of the menacing murderous entity. Described simply as "The Pale Man," he's supposed to represent the embodiment of pure evil but is instead totally glossed over in exchange for more scenes of Breslin acting out "Groundhog Day."
Poor casting choices aside, "Haunter" doesn't suffer from wasted potential; in fact, it simply is a painful movie to endure. From the derivative nature of the plot to the banality of the actors who appear to be merely going through the motions, "Haunter" is simply dreadful from start to finish. Pegged as a haunted house thriller with an original twist, there couldn't be a more dishonest ruse imaginable than this movie.
The family-friendly label is truly the last straw when it comes to "Haunter." Horror is a bastardized genre for a reason, and the last thing I would want to see is a trend toward scary movies the whole family can enjoy. That's not to say that nudity and blood-splattered violence must go hand in hand with the genre (look no further than "The Conjuring" to disprove that theory), but if "Haunter" is the result of a more wholesome style of storytelling, then count me out.