Victim of the Haunt

 (1996) **

This mftv ghost flick was pretty run of the mill. Based on a true events, Charles (Beau Bridges) and Pattie (Sharon Lawrence) Johnson move into a newly built home that has come with a couple of extra uninvited residents. Everything seems to happen to just Pattie and the kids when Charles is not around. Charles thinks his wife has blown a gasket due to the tragic death of their infant son six months prior to the move. He sends her to see doctors and psychiatrists, they find nothing but her "condition” seems to worsen. This is a page right out of the Poltergeist franchise with the exception of the husband refusing to believe the wife. The FX are pure ‘90’s fluff, flashing lights, giant smoky head, little floaty rainbow twinkly things. Charles is rarely home popping in and out like a bigamist with a second family somewhere else so it’s no wonder he misses all the good stuff. If you ask me he and all the doctors are all jerks for not only writing off Mom’s claims as imaginary, but also dismissing the kids as well stating they are protecting the Mom by having sympathetic visions. They even poof off the psychic she brought in and the old lady who used to live there who tells them that her family burial ground is under their property. Of course Dad finally does come around eventually but not until he’s made a total ass of himself by having his wife committed. If I had watched this in ’96 I probably would have given it 2 ½ or 3 stars, but this baby does not weather the years so well. Sorry Mr. Ghost, you just aren’t scary.