An American Haunting, (opening May 5th) starring Rachel Hurd-Wood, Donald Sutherland, and Sissy Spacek, is based on the legend of the Bell Witch; actually, based on a book about the Bell Witch entitled The Bell Witch: An American Haunting by Brent Monahan. It’s set in 1818-ish in Tennessee, and has that great old ‘American’ horror feel that can only come with something like the writings of Washington Irving or H.P. Lovecraft. More frightening than the story of The Amityville Horror, the legend of the Bell Witch is a much-argued story of poltergeist activity, witchcraft, and early American superstition that still baffles historians to this day. Was it all a hoax? Was it a demon? A curse from a local witch named Kate Bats? Betsy Bell, played by Rachel Hurd-Wood (she played Wendy in 2003’s Peter Pan) is a young woman beset by troubles. Completely opposite of Rachel herself, who is a well-adjusted and polite young woman who kind of ‘fell’ into acting accidentally. Now she has co-starred opposite Jeremy Sumpter (yummy, in a pedophilia-way), Sissy Spacek, Donald Sutherland, and has a new thriller coming out later this year with Alan Rickman and Dustin Hoffman. Can we get started yet? Ok! let’s talk to Rachel.

At the young age of 15, British-born Rachel Hurd-Wood has already been in several major films. She made her acting debut in P.J. Hogan’s “Peter Pan” in 2000 and she will soon be seen in “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer”, co-starring with Dustin Hoffman and Alan Rickman. Currently, she is going up against Hollywood heavyweights Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek in Courtney Solomon’s chilling “An American Haunting” where she portrays Betsy Bell, the principle target of the entity terrorizing the Bell family in early 19th-century Tennessee.

BD: Hello Rachel and thanks for talking to Bloody-Disgusting.

RH-W: You’re very welcome.

The star of the horror film speaks out on taking the lead role

Rachel Hurd-Wood is a normal 15 year old girl, except for the fact that she’ll scare the heck out of you in her latest film, An American Haunting. She plays the lead in the movie, Betsy Bell, based on the true story of the Bell Witch.

The legend is known in Adams, Tennessee as the only known case of a spirit causing the death of a person. An American Haunting stars Donald Sutherland, James D’Arcy, and Sissy Spacek as the family who’s haunted by this spirit. Director, Courtney Solomon found Rachel amongst the hundreds of girls who auditioned; funny enough, Rachel was the first actress he saw.

The story of the Bell Witch, a nearly 200-year old legend that is the first account of a spirit being officially responsible for a person’s death in American history, sets the stage for An American Haunting. In the film, writer/director Courtney Solomon presents one interpretation of the paranormal tale, which has been the basis for several books throughout the years. He examines the lives of patriarch John Bell (Donald Sutherland), matriarch Lucy Bell (Sissy Spacek), and their daughter Betsy (Rachel Hurd-Wood), and explores the possibility that misdeeds brought a curse down upon the family, afflicting them with extended episodes of violent poltergeist activity.