The Bell Witch: An American Haunting

By Brent Monahan

Book Overview

Long before the Blair Witch was fabricated to scare audiences, the Bell Witch did it for real in Tennessee. An American Haunting tells her story--the basis for the 2005 horror film starring Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek.

Known throughout Tennessee as "Old Kate," the Bell Witch took up residence with John Bell's family in 1818. It was a cruel and noisy spirit, given to rapping and gnawing sounds before it found its voices.

With these voices and its supernatural acts, the Bell Witch tormented the Bell family. This extraordinary book recounts the only documented case in U.S. history when a spirit actually caused a man's death.

The local schoolteacher, Richard Powell, witnessed the strange events and recorded them for his daughter. His astonishing manuscript fell into the hands of novelist Brent Monahan, who has prepared the book for publication. Members of the Bell family have previously provided information on this fascinating case, but this book recounts the tale with novelistic vigor and verve. It is truly chilling.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312363532
• ISBN13: 9780312363536
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Spooky and Riveting

Couldn't put this down. I've always been fascinated with the Bell Witch, and this goes into heavy details of that night. If you love history and the paranormal, this is a great read.

Awesome true story

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near the Bell Witch area and was quite familiar with the story; when I learned that an authenticated account previously unpublished was available, of course I got it.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!

Chilling

This was the best fiction chiller I have read all year. You never can quite tell whether it is fiction or fact. Chilling tale with a good twist at the end.

An Excellent Read!

I just finished reading this book and still can't get over how this story ended. Plain & simple, it "BLEW" me away!! I was not expecting an ending such as this one in the least bit, I was floored!! This story is definately a can't put down read and it is truely frightening as well, especially for those of us who believe in the supernatural. Brent Monahan has most definately got a winner here with this novel. 10 stars for The Bell Witch: An American Haunting and I reccomend that you buy yours today!!

You have to read this!

When I first saw the book, I couldn't figure out if it was true or not. Once I researched the Bell Witch, I was hooked and knew I had to read it. I couldn't put the book down once I started reading it. It is an excellent account of the era, and there are several surprises here, including the ending. It was definitely not what I expected it to be! I have been telling everyone to read this book!