''Haunted'' (also released as ''The Haunted'') is a 1977 American

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

written and directed by Michael DeGaetano and starring

Aldo Ray Aldo Ray (born Aldo Da Re; September 25, 1926 – March 27, 1991) was an American actor of film and television. He began his career as a contract player for Columbia Studios before achieving stardom through his roles in '' The Marrying Kind ...

Virginia Mayo Virginia Mayo (born Virginia Clara Jones; November 30, 1920 – January 17, 2005) was an American actress and dancer. She was in a series of comedy films with Danny Kaye and was Warner Brothers' biggest box-office money-maker in the late 1940s. ...

, and

Ann Michelle Ann Michelle (born 11 August 1952) is a British actress. Biography Michelle's father Joseph was a fish trader at Billingsgate Fish Market and her mother Shirley an actress. One of her sisters is the actress Vicki Michelle. While her parent ...

Plot

The story follows the descendants of those who accused a

witch Witchcraft traditionally means the use of Magic (supernatural), magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In Middle Ages, medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. They are subjected to inexplicable deaths.

Cast

Production

''Haunted'' was filmed on location in Arizona over a period of 24 days on a budget of $250,000. According to writer-director De Gaetano, budgeting issues necessitated that portions of the script be un-filmed, resulting in "a good deal of the philosophical depth of the film" disappearing.

Release

''Haunted'' was released theatrically in the United States, beginning on March 4, 1977 in

Florence, South Carolina Florence is a city in and the county seat of Florence County, South Carolina, United States. It lies at the intersection of Interstates 20 and 95 and is the eastern terminus of the former. It is the primary city within the Florence metropolit ...

. Contemporaneous newspaper sources show had a limited engagement screening in

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river ...

in late-March 1977. In the United States, the film was released on VHS under the title ''The Haunted'' on March 20, 1992.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haunted 1977 film 1977 films 1977 independent films 1970s supernatural horror films 1970s Western (genre) horror films American supernatural horror films American Western (genre) horror films Films about curses Films about witchcraft Films set in Arizona Films shot in Arizona American Civil War films 1970s English-language films 1970s American films