Haunter (2013)

Number Rolled: 63

Movie Name/Year: Haunter (2013)

Tagline: Are you awake?

Genre: Thriller

Length: 97 minutes

Rating: NR

Production Companies: Wild Bunch, Copperheart Entertainment, Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit, Canadian Audio-Visual Certification Office, Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, Haunter Productions, Movie Central, The Movie Network

Executive Producer: Vincent Maraval, Vincenzo Natali, John Raymons, Mark Smith

Director: Vincenzo Natali

Writer: Brian King

Actors: Abigail Breslin, Peter Outerbridge, Michelle Nolden, Stephen McHattie, Peter DaCunha, Samantha Weinstein, Eleanor Zichy, David Hewlett, Sarah Manninen, Martine Campbell, David Knoll, Michelle Coburn, Tadhg McMahon, Marie Dame

Lisa is living the same day over and over again. Wake up. Eat breakfast. Do the laundry. She can’t understand why she knows it’s happening, but her family doesn’t. Eventually, the routine begins to change and she searches for a way to break free.

Selina’s Point of View:

I was very much in the mood for a horror or a thriller since I had just finished watching the season premiere of American Horror Story: Hotel (2015). How awesome was that episode, by the way? Super graphic. SUPER graphic. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.

I digress.

Haunter has a very unique storyline. I know the above description makes it seem very Groundhog Day (1993), but that’s only because the Netflix description pissed me off. It tells viewers about one of the big twists in the movie, and I don’t jive with that. We take spoilers very seriously here at Trust the Dice. I definitely don’t think they should be included in the damn blurb.

Unacceptable.

Not only did the Netflix blurb give a significant spoiler, but it hurt my enjoyment of the film. At times during the movie I remember thinking that it would be a better experience if I didn’t know what Netflix told me.

Although the spoiler killed the first half of the film for me, the rest of it was decent. It had a few of the jump scares you expect, but the underlying plot was so creepy that it didn’t seem to be relying on the jumps.

All in all, it wasn’t a bad film. I recommend that anyone interested in seeing it refrain from reading the Netflix blurb.

Cat’s Point of View:

I was hopeful when this movie came up. The teaser summary appealed to me – this didn’t sound like it was going to be your average horror/thriller.  I am pleased to share that it certainly wasn’t; and it was amazing.

Alas, there isn’t a lot I can discuss in detail, regarding the elements that I adore about this movie, without spoiling things. Though, in watching the trailer after-the-fact; I am pretty irked that they included some scenes that probably should have stayed a mystery.

Imagine a dark and twisted version of Groundhog Day (1993).

Abigail Breslin (Rango, Nim's Island, Ender's Game) had me believing in her fear, confusion, and frustration. I was entirely sucked into her situation, and even gasped when she did a few times.

I am not so sure that I won’t have a nightmare tonight with Stephen McHattie (The Timekeeper, Immortals, The Strain) in it, after this. His performance was so sinister. From his expressions to his voice, he just embodied this boogie-man he was portraying. I felt my heart race a few times.

Fans of blood and gore won’t really find that sort of thing here, but the horror abounds. I thoroughly enjoyed this film, and would gladly watch it again.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 53%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 42%

Netflix’s Prediction for Selina – 4.5/5

Selina’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 3.5/5

Netflix’s Prediction for Cat – 4.5/5

Cat’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 4.5/5

The Random Rating: PG-13

Movie Trailer: