The haunted house movie “A Southern Haunting” is not like the others. The narrative centers on a family of freed slaves as they attempt to start over during the early years of Reconstruction.
A 40-acre tract of land has been granted to Lula (Imani Hakim) and her family, who hope to establish a prosperous farm of their own. Nothing goes as planned, and before the family realizes it, they are battling hostile neighbors and a terrifyingly strong spiritual force that has cursed the land.
“A Southern Haunting” by M.J. Anderson and T. Huff shares characteristics with the best independent films. The story has some truly significant points to make, and the plot is full of unexpected turns. Few films provide an objective viewpoint on Reconstruction, and “A Southern Haunting” does its historical drama moments as well as its thrills and shocks.
All of the film’s various components come together in time for the film’s pleasant finale, but in order to fully comprehend “A Southern Haunting,” it is worthwhile to delve into the film’s most important issues and minute nuances.
Storyline of ‘A Southern Haunting’
Soon after the Civil War ends, “A Southern Haunting” opens with the offer of 40-acre farmsteads to formerly enslaved people who want to start again. Abe (Jelani Talib), Elijah (Jaden Newton), Hany (Laya DeLeon Hayes), Lula (Imani Hakim), and their father (Tarik Lowe) travel to an abandoned Georgian farmstead that appears to be a little worse for wear.
With ambitions to transform all 40 acres into a verdant peach grove, Lula’s father is adamant about securing their future on the farm.
Taran (Graham Patrick Martin), an Irish neighbor who appears to be pleased to have new neighbors in the area, is introduced to the family. Regretfully, other people do not share this sentiment. In an attempt to exercise their freedom to do as they like, two hunters (Jordan Rawlins and Sam Bloomquist) enter the family’s land and attack Abe and his father.
After aggressively tormenting the family, Malachi (Jeremy Mahr), another white man, runs over Elijah, murdering the small kid, since he doesn’t think the family owns their house.
Lula’s family already has to deal with hostile neighbors, but now they have to deal with an unfamiliar entity taking over their property. The ground itself appears to be cursed, as Abe abruptly becomes catatonic following a few near-spiritual experiences.
The rest of the family feels as though they have lost both of their boys because he is totally unresponsive to anything around him. Even if Abe’s illness is terrible, the worst is still to come.
What Happened at the End of A Southern Haunting?
Taran has been generous enough to provide her family with literature and medical information on how to treat Abe, so Lula goes to see how she’s doing. She discovers that some of the least amiable families in the neighborhood had attacked Taran and his sister.
Lula tells Taran all about the weird supernatural happenings on her property when he is assisting him. She decides to investigate the family’s well and enlists Taran’s assistance after receiving some unexpected knowledge from the enigmatic spirits who haunt the area.
Taran initially appears hesitant to help, but she doesn’t learn why until she gets to the bottom of the well. When Lula sees the rotting skeleton in the well, the ghost that haunts the property reaches out and offers her a vision.
Lula finds out that, with the assistance of the landowner, her mother, Naiyah D. Scaife, managed to flee slavery and hide away on this property in the past. In an attempt to seize the territory for himself, Taran gave Lula’s mother and the woman to the Confederate troops.
In a last-ditch effort to seize the land, Taran tries to murder Lula at the well, but her father saves her. Lula then has the opportunity to speak with her mother directly after the two of them make contact with the ghost. Abe is released from his slumber and the curse on the land is lifted when Lula’s mother passes on to the next life.
What Led the Family to Arrive at Taran’s Farm?
A significant coincidence is at the core of “A Southern Haunting.” Lula’s mother fled from slavery and found refuge on a farm long before the Civil War ended. Her family coincidentally received the exact same piece of land after the war. Is there a more profound secret at play here?
It’s easy to dismiss the coincidence as a minor convenience that the plot requires. The whole “haunting” element of “A Southern Haunting” collapses if Lula doesn’t find her way to the property where her mother passed away.
There is some evidence in the film that suggests Lula’s mother may have been the reason her family ended up on the farm, despite how simple it would be to completely ignore the coincidence.
Ghosts are strong forces in this specific film. Malachi is so terrified by Lula’s mother that he practically flees the farm screaming after she uses her immense power to put Abe into a trance for his own safety. She can also interact with Lula in a very real way and offer her visions of the past.
It’s possible that Lula’s mother spiritually encouraged her family to identify her ultimate resting place, albeit we don’t know the full scope of those ghostly skills.
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What Actually Occurred to the Family’s Mother?
Lula’s mother may be the most significant character in the entire film, despite having comparatively little on-screen time. Her narrative is left a mystery in the first part of the movie, but it’s obvious that the rest of the family is suffering because of her absence.
The tension is further increased by the fact that Lula and the other kids openly and somewhat blame their father for their mother’s absence.
We first see what happened to Lula when she and her father fight about whether or not her mother would have wanted them to remain on the farm.
She made several attempts to flee from her slave masters, but she was always apprehended because she was attempting to provide a way out for her family. Lula’s father eventually advised their mother to keep going if she ever succeeded in escaping.
That’s precisely what took place. After escaping, Lula’s mother apparently ended somewhere on the Underground Railroad. The past owners of the farmhouse that Lula’s family subsequently purchases had several little hiding spots that they utilized to conceal fugitive slaves.
Lula’s mother had an opportunity to flee even after Taran turned the slaves up to the Confederates. She was given freedom by a Confederate soldier in exchange for killing the other slaves and the woman who attempted to assist her in escaping. The soldier killed Lula’s mother because she refused to give up and fought back.
Will a Southern Haunting 2 Be Released?
“A Southern Haunting” masterfully develops its characters and captivates you with the Mothers’ family. Although the film finishes happily, the family will surely face more difficulties in the future. It’s only reasonable for us moviegoers to wonder if we’ll ever get to see Lula and the others again to see how they’re doing on their tiny peach farm.
If there will be a sequel to “A Southern Haunting,” we’ll probably have to wait a long time to see it, but never say never. Due to its extremely low initial budget and its release timetable, the film had little possibility of making a significant profit.
Less than two months after its theatrical debut, “A Southern Haunting” made the transition to Starz streaming after just a few select theaters showed it.
Time is another factor preventing “A Southern Haunting” from getting a sequel. Filming for the film began in October 2019. It’s possible that the cast, directors, and writers were sufficiently excited about another film at the time, but four years later, they’re all probably working on other projects. But nothing is impossible. All fans can do is cross their fingers.