Not Approved

The Haunting of Barney Palmer

When 9-year-old Barney Palmer is plagued by bizarre, ghostly visitations, he fears he has inherited a mysterious family curse. But he soon discovers there is more here that meets the eyes. Some shocking skeletons hidden inside his family closet are about to be unleashed!
7
Negative Rating
12345
SexLanguageViolenceDrugsNudityOther
0
Positive Rating
12345
FaithIntegrity

Dove Review

This is an odd story about one young man who believes he is being haunted by his late Uncle Cole whom the family says had the powers of a great magician. This is a movie from 1987 and the film is grainy plus the effects are just okay for their time. The dark storyline is hard to follow at times. But it comes down to the family having special powers that are not always understood.

Due to the fact that this movie would mainly appeal to children, and we believe that many kid viewers would be confused, not to mention possibly frightened, we must decline in awarding this film our Dove “Family-Approved” Seal. There are incidents of objects moving by themselves, a young boy’s eyes turning red, voices heard, eerie music and so forth throughout the entire film. A character says at the end of the picture that it is exciting to know what you are and be it. That is a good line. Unfortunately, it is not enough for us to recommend this film as a family-friendly film.

Dove Rating Details

0
Faith

None

0
Integrity

Boy runs in front of car without looking; sisters argue; woman grabs boy and locks him in closet; water coming into house and pours from lamps, floor and doors.

1
Sex

Kissing between husband and wife.

0
Language

None

2
Violence

Boy runs in front of car without looking; sisters argue; woman grabs boy and locks him in closet; water coming into house and pours from lamps, floor and doors.

0
Drugs

None

1
Nudity

Children in swimsuits

3
Other

A disembodied voice is heard several times in the film; discussion regarding uncle's death; boy faints; discussion regarding being dead; boy with scary dreams; dreams of boy drowning; weird shadows; rude comments made about young boy; discussion about young boy having the "gift" ; a question of whether boy is possessed and his eyes turn red; being able to make things move with one's mind; teeter totter and merry-go-round moves by itself; the magic is beyond normal and seems other worldly; evil man; witchcraft-like controlled elements; man disappears from swing.

More Information