Midnight Bayou (2009)

After jilting his fiancee, an attorney (Jerry O'Connell) gives up his Boston practice and impulsively buys an old Southern mansion in Louisiana bayou country. But soon he begins seeing and re-living images of the house's past residents of a 100 years ago and hearing voices and it's not long before he discovers the mansion's dark history and how he is tied up with it. Based on the novel by Nora Roberts and directed by Ralph Hemecker. Trashy movies can sometimes be fun but this contrived possessed house potboiler should be a lot more fun than it is. Even its supposed "dark secrets" are easy to figure out. Too much time is expended on the contemporary romance between O'Donnell and Lauren Stamile and while both are appealing presences, they are defeated by the trite dialogue and situations they are given to play. Faye Dunaway as Stamile's cornbread baking granny and Isabella Hoffman as Stamile's junkie trash of a mother fare better with more interesting characters to play. The authentic New Orleans, both city and countryside, locations are a treat to see under Anghel Decca's lensing.