An American Haunting: The Bell Witch

I grew up near the Bell Witch area and was quite familiar with the story; when I learned that an authenticated account previously unpublished was available, of course I got it. This account tallies with the hundreds of eye-witness events, and has a stunning ending.Remember that this book was written in the early 1800's and will have the style of the day; also, the writer was not writing a fictional account for amusement--he was writing FACT. To my mind, it's an excellent read, and fascinating because, frankly, if it's not true, then literally hundreds of people were wrong. A must read for all students of the unknown!

After seeing the movie, I researched the history of the Bell Witch. This book was a fun, spine-chilling, quick read. It arrived quickly, was in great condition, and a good price too. A little piece of American history to read at night with a flashlight.

Interesting account of the Bell Witch haunting. Good read after visiting the farm.

Enduring mystery, disturbing content

I want to visit and see how things were. My hope is to visit sometime in the near future.Thank youDebbie

I am a bit surprised that there are no more than three reviews for the paperback version of this book, thus far--I do believe it emerged in tandem with the rather lackluster screen adaptation starring Sutherland and Spacek. Thus, I would have imagined that this printing of the book would have prompted more response from Amazon customers. However, since the movie was really bad, it may be that viewers were not motivated to seek out the book upon which the film was based.If so, that's a shame, because the book itself is actually one of the more compelling and well-written ghost stories in recent years. It is not scary in an overtly superficial way. Rather, it is a deliciously disturbing novelization of the famous "Bell Witch" incident and that strain of American folklore attached to the so-called haunting. Here, the story is told from the perspective of the local schoolteacher, who carries a torch for young Elizabeth "Betsy" Bell (object of the invading spirit's wrath). The novelization of a tenuously "true" story is fraught with difficulties in principle, but the reader wouldn't know it, from this rendition. Monahan truly manages to conjure a gripping account told from the first-person standpoint of the narrator, almost (but not quite) in a journalistic sense. It reads like an "olde worlde" investigative piece, which makes for a page-turner and holds the interest with admirable ease. The result is gripping material in the best sense. Monahan's narrator paints a very vivid picture of a mysterious and complex supernatural entity that afflicts the household of John and Lucy Bell and their family, as well as their entire community of Red River. "Old Kate's Witch" (as the offending spirit is called) comes alive with significant literary verve due to the author's careful, convincing style and craftsmanship of just the right words and atmospheres needed to delineate a tale like this. The Bell Witch herself is the star of the book--part ingratiating imp, part malevolent demon. The dialogues carried on between the spirit and the other characters are spine-tinglingly realistic at times. The whole effort basically "rings true" because of the author's method. The story has a definite aura of veracity, here, and for this reason it is highly recommended to all fans of well-written horror or ghost-story material, or even to fans of 19th century Americana, Southern Gothic tales. Quite smart and sharp...just like the mercurial "Bell Witch" herself/itself.

This is the book that accompanies the motion picture starring Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek. The novel is a found manuscript that purports to be written by Richard Powell, who married Betsy Bell, who was a target of the supernatural forces that haunted the Bell farm and eventually killed her father, John Bell.Powell tells the story from the viewpoint of one who actually witnessed the events. The story follows the major accepted facts of the case, and makes no denial of any claim set forth by others. It does however, mention that John Bell was excommunicated from the church he helped found on a charge of unjust usury in his dealings with Kate Batts. This has resulted in John Bell losing his good name as a man who owed no one anything, and many shunned him. Some books, like Martin Ingram's paint John as the "salt of the earth." This one reveals him as a man who has had problems and strives to make the best of it; accepting the judgement of both the court and the church.While Powell does not deny that any of the haunting took place, and indeed confirms that it did, he leaves this journal for his daughter to explain the real reason the "witch" came and why it tormented John and Betsy Bell. If you have seen the movie, you know what transpired, if not I won't spoil the reveal for you.Could it have been as Powell recounts? Possible, perhaps, from a certain point of view. But if so there ought to be thousands of these "witches" reported throughout American as many men are guilty of sharing John Bell's crime. Was there some reason other than Powell's explanation for the phenomena? There certainly could be. And last, could it all have been a hoax? If so, it wasn't perpetrated by the Bell family, as they suffered horrible things. But it is a foregone conclusion that John Bell was a hard man and disliked by some. How this hoax would have been accomplished is a puzzle that would have to involve multiple people working as one. This is possible, but unlikely.Quoth the Raven...Can

This is a detailed first-hand account of the Bell family's supernatural experiences. Although the author is listed as Monahan, the book is actually written by Richard Powell who witnessed the events. Powell was married to Elizabeth Bell, the young woman who bore the brunt of the ghost's violence. Determined to make sense of the haunting, Powell eventually learns the ugly truth from his own wife.

I can only compliment the film director, film producer and the excellent actors into turning what is a very mediocre boring book into such a brilliant film. Forget about reading the book - the style is agonizing to read and the story quite unconvincing - just buy the DVD.

Better than the movie. A sure chill.