Haunter Review: Abigail Breslin Trapped in a Smart Supernatural Thriller

Vincenzo Natali is a young director that has crafted impressive small budget science fiction films like Cube, Cypher, and Splice. The latter, produced by Guillermo Del Toro, performed poorly on the big screen after Warner Bros. gave it a wide release. Maybe that’s why Haunter (on NY and LA selected theaters, and VOD and digital nationwide) went straight to home formats, despite feautring a raising star like Abigail Breslin.

Aknowledging that Nicole Kidman’s The Others already exists, you get the initial set up without wasting any time: The spirit of a girl and her family relive the same day, trapped in a house in some kind of limbo. She is the only one that notices and understands this loop, until the routine suddenly starts changing.

The movie is a gift for any Twilight Zone fan, mixing tropes from ghost stories, home invasion thriller, and even some time traveling. Natali is able to convey interesting concepts and effective atmospheres without many resources. Breslin and the great character actor Stephen McHattie lead a small cast of talented young and veteran actors.

Haunter is all about entertaining genre aficionados that crave for something that would make them want to trap themselves at home for a couple of hours.

Watch it on TV through VOD or rent it on YouTube here.