A couple and their two kids move into a beautiful house with a dark past. The beautiful, Victorian mansion witnessed a murder 50 years ago and this family will soon realize that they may be next on the cursed list.
You saw this movie ten times before, most notably a few years ago or 30 years ago if you're older, with "Amityville". The story and template remain the same in most B-movie spawns of the (already passable) original and "A Haunting in Salem" is no exception. The couple have silent unresolved issues, the eldest daughter hates the house, the realtors obviously know something and with each new manifestation, the family deteriorates.
Along with the by-the-books script, the casting here is the main problem. The mismatched couple never look like they've shared more than a few months together, even though they have two kids. The wife is much too good-looking for her husband and there's not one spontaneous sign of love throughout. Also, there's no interaction between the kids, so you're left with 4 characters that just don't gel.
On the plus side, the show moves rather briskly, with barely a dead moment once the characters are established, and the cinematography looks professional. As previously mentioned by another reviewer, this would make a nice TV movie-of-the-week. In other words, it's slick but sorely lacks ambition.
You saw this movie ten times before, most notably a few years ago or 30 years ago if you're older, with "Amityville". The story and template remain the same in most B-movie spawns of the (already passable) original and "A Haunting in Salem" is no exception. The couple have silent unresolved issues, the eldest daughter hates the house, the realtors obviously know something and with each new manifestation, the family deteriorates.
Along with the by-the-books script, the casting here is the main problem. The mismatched couple never look like they've shared more than a few months together, even though they have two kids. The wife is much too good-looking for her husband and there's not one spontaneous sign of love throughout. Also, there's no interaction between the kids, so you're left with 4 characters that just don't gel.
On the plus side, the show moves rather briskly, with barely a dead moment once the characters are established, and the cinematography looks professional. As previously mentioned by another reviewer, this would make a nice TV movie-of-the-week. In other words, it's slick but sorely lacks ambition.