America's Most Haunted (2013) User Reviews

Scrappy Doo

[begob · 5/10 · 13 April 2015]

Bogus ghost hunters find ... a ghost.

Nice idea, plenty of humour packed into the concept. But the production is a bit sparse and needs all the music to keep things lively - problem is there's too much musics, so the atmosphere is Scooby Doos all the ways. In the end I suppose it's a mild satire on film making.

And too many characters - I'm sure a couple of the guys could have been folded into one, and the girl wasn't given much to do.

Acting is even, but the old timer is the only convincing one.

Camera-work nothing special, with too much reliance on overlays for special effects.

Overall, fairly engaging - and I did like the ironic ending.

Started out somewhat amusing but quickly fell down cliché central

[Seth_Rogue_One · 3/10 · 23 February 2016]

I thought this was gonna be a found footage movie, it's not.

There is SOME footage that are meant to be captured from the characters in the film but 85% or more are 'normal' footage, just thought I'd point that out so you know that that is not the case.

It starts off as sort of a satire of ghost hunting shows, 'GHOST ADVENTURES' in particular, they even use the same script for the intro and stuff as them.

Plotwise it's very similar to 'GRAVE ENCOUNTERS (2011)' which also started out with making fun of these kind of shows, just to turn spooky and creepy for real.

Where as in this one, they try but it never really actually gets scary or anything and the jokes start falling flat pretty early on and the acting is a bit amateurish over all as is the whole film production.

It simply doesn't have close enough of substance to fill up the 90 minutes of screen time.

So yeah I recommend 'GRAVE ENCOUNTERS (2011)' instead, it succeeds where this movie does not.

funny, but not perfect

[ethancrater-86017 · 5/10 · 2 October 2022]

A very funny film about a paranormal TV show crew who bite off more than they can chew at a former logging camp in Michigan. The crew are mostly old hands at manufacturing evidence and are skeptical to say the least. It's a pretty good story with some genuinely good moments. The main fault that keeps it from being as good as The Selling or Housebound are pacing, it takes a good awhile for the movie to get going. Some of the characters are a little clichéd, there's the "hot girl" who serves no purpose other than looks. She comes with a simp who endlessly fawns over her, blah blah blah. The real hero of the group is Jimmy who has his priorities right. The group is subected to increasingly strong paranormal attacks as the night grows darker and the entities become increasingly forceful. There is a good twist at the end, and it's pretty well worth the slow start. There's also a good bit towards the beginning where you forget you're watching a comedy movie and slip into a paranormal show, but that's also part of why it takes this movie to get to its main plot point. They probably could have eliminated the first couple establishing scenes showing "we're a real paranormal ghost hunter show" stuff.

Not good...

[lweyts · 2/10 · 15 June 2015]

In the beginning, I thought it might be interesting but, as it progressed, it just got more tedious. How many times did they have to see the ghost & chase it? And why didn't all of his victims show up, too? I didn't find much humor in it (Hey...Someone died!), & the entire movie could have been 30 min. long! James Karen was the only recognizable actor in it & the rest just weren't up to par. For instance, the lady that played the medium was so bad an actor it took me right out of the story. As for the "surprise ending", I could think of a lot of better ones off the top of my head. This movie could have been a lot better if they had either made it ALL comedy or ALL horror. This way, it's just ALL lousy. Sorry!

Great to see James Karen again

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 24 July 2017]

AMERICA'S MOST HAUNTED is a fun spoof of the whole 'paranormal TV show' genre of reality filmmaking so popular in America. It's an overworked genre and this indie is too cheap to really impress, but it's better than I was expecting regardless. The story is about a crew called in to a creepy old location by the caretaker, played by a cameoing James Karen. Karen is a fine actor of his day (check him out in POLTERGEIST and RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD) so it was a pleasure to see him cast here and he really is the best thing in the movie. The rest of the actors are quite unappealing and the humour isn't really all that funny, but it could be worse.

Garbage

[Stephanie-Hurst · 2/10 · 25 August 2021]

If the acting doesn't put you to sleep, the plot surely will. This was an hour and 25 minutes I cannot get back. The only decent actress was Emily, played by Brittany Risner. She gave a solid performance. The concept of the movie could have been good but the acting, delivery and characters killed the movie.

What A Pleasant Surprise!!!

[smakar · 7/10 · 18 February 2015]

Ii never fails - movies that I purchase for download from Amazon turn out to be utter garbage which I cannot delete from my system quick enough (Skyline being the latest).

Along comes America's Most Haunted, and I decide to be prudent, so I rent the movie instead of purchase. And after watching it, I will also purchase it, for this is a movie that I can see watching every so often.

First of all, this is NOT a horror movie - it's a horror comedy, along the lines of Ghostbusters, although by no means as high-budgeted or with such famous actors.

Still, I found America's Most Haunted to be extremely entertaining, with characters I actually cared about, and although the plot was simple, it still kept my attention throughout.

The production was outstanding! The film looked great, the sound was clear, the music added the right mood, and the special effects were perfect given the subject matter.

Another pleasant surprise was how restrained the language was (something all too rare now-a-days).

I highly recommend this film if you're looking for light entertainment and have a desire to feel good when the movie is finished!

Very entertaining more funny than scary with a few unexpected moments

[jbrbsmom · 8/10 · 29 September 2017]

Better than average for this genre. Highly entertaining. Not a found footage movie. This one actually has a plot. The acting is actually good, minus the female lead role who appears to be cracking up more than scared. Looks like they had a much higher budget. The background music actually gets annoying. There are a few moments where you jump a bit because they do give y an unexpected jolt, so there was a plus. Toward the end, the plot becomes a bit ridiculous and you start to think there is no way THAT possibly happened and it doesn't make a whole lot of sense if you try and figure it out, but nobody watches this type of movie because it is supposed to be REALISTIC and make sense. Very funny. All in all, I would recommend it, especially if you are a fan of the paranormal or a fan of mocking paranormal shows. Nice twist at the end.

Enjoyable little parody of those paranormal shows

[jackstupidjack · 7/10 · 13 September 2015]

What a pleasant surprise this little film was. A nice, well acted horror/comedy even with one or two good (if mild) jumpy/spooky moments. The acting is of a good quality well carried off by the cast. After some of the incredible nonsense I've seen of late, this came as a real breath of fresh air. Most of all I'd say it is a clever, subtle parody of the many nonsensical 'Ghost Hunters'type shows which infest the airwaves yet prove nothing. The over all premise is that of a crew of vain, arrogant paranormal TV researchers who are shameless fakers and disbelievers who find themselves in a really haunted location with no idea how to deal with their situation. A fine piece of work from all involved.

Better Than Most

[latonpowers · 6/10 · 20 August 2021]

Sure, this is a low budget horror movie, and it's not The Shining, but a good and decent horror movie. I watch tons, and this is far above average over other ghost hunters encountering real ghosts sort of film. Doesn't drag and acting is average. I would recommend. Plus it has James Karen in it. He was a legend.

Classic group night fun watch!

[rexmans · 8/10 · 26 March 2023]

Each individual part might seem odd, but lump it all together, the concept, the characters, the music, suspense, humor (Pay close attention! There's a lot of really funny stuff going on that is easy missed!), and the all important scary movie jump scares, and it all adds up to a great film! This will definitely be added to my go to fun movies like "Super Troopers", "Hot Fuzz", and "Office Space". This type of movie can be easily overlooked but I genuinely wish I would have known about it sooner. I look forward to sharing and watching "America's Most Haunted" with a group of friends. Loved it!!

I can't explain it.

[nancy-roche · 6/10 · 6 September 2020]

I don't know why. I LOVE this movie. I've watched it three or four times, and every time I just crack up. It's scary in parts. Legitimately frightening, without getting dark or resorting merely to jump-scares.

I love making fun of the ghost hunting industry. That might be why. I get really really exhausted with films and shows that take themselves too seriously. This one never does. It has some production value, but mostly it nudges firmly into parody.

Here's the thing - I don't know what to tell you about why you should or shouldn't watch this movie. There's a difference between cliche and parody, and this is clearly parody. No, I don't think it was ever trying to be serious. I think it's all heart, and belly-laughs. Also, Michigan. *shakes head*

I think I might have to consult Alasdair Stuart. He'd know.