Haunter

Lisa, a teenage girl, wakes inside a house that loops back on itself, but each pass feels slightly altered. Mornings replay with familiar routines yet small oddities intrude, from a hallway moment that freezes to a spoken line that should not be there. The people around her appear like a family yet their conversations circle back to secrets she cannot name. As Lisa digs for clues about the houses previous occupants and the strange patterns that repeat, she discovers that her attempts to break the cycle ripple outward in unexpected ways. The tension comes from uncertainty about what really happened and who is telling the truth, not from obvious jump scares or conventional thriller twists. Its mood favors the uncanny over gore.

Directed by Vincenzo Natali, Haunter released in 2013 as a Canadian British co production. The screenplay is by Brian King and Matthew Brian King, an original concept that threads horror and puzzle like mystery rather than basing itself on a pre existing novel.

Box office figures were modest due to a limited release in select markets. The film did not become a major hit, but it found a niche audience among fans of restrained supernatural thrillers who appreciate a focus on atmosphere and mystery over gratuitous scares.

Critics noted Abigail Breslin's steady performance at the center of the film and Natali's skill at building a tense, claustrophobic mood. The story turns on memory and accountability, showing how small decisions in one looping day can reshape relationships and reveal hard truths about a family history.

Haunter has a modest footprint in genre circles rather than a broad cultural imprint. It appeals to fans of Natali for its emphasis on atmosphere and a time loop premise, earning a quiet if niche status that keeps it in conversations among horror romantics and puzzle minded viewers.