You have to go way back to the early days of the found footage genre for The St. Francisville Experiment, which emerged in 2000, just a year after The Blair Witch Project put this type of filmmaking on the map. It is, of course, difficult to follow in the immediate footsteps of the phenomenon that was Blair Witch (just like at how incredibly crappy the official sequel was), but I think The St. Francisville Experiment hit on a pretty good formula.

This underrated film starts out as a documentary of sorts, where we meet the main characters and get the historical context of the "experiment," which culminates in a group of four young people spending the night in what is reputed to be one of the most haunted of houses in the most haunted of towns. That historical context, it must be noted, does come from the actual annals of history. The name Marie Delphine LaLaurie doesn't conjure up the anything fearful for most people these days, but this prominent New Orleans socialite of the early 19th century more than earned a spot on the list of most depraved serial killers by torturing and killing an unknown number of slaves. Her crimes tended to be exaggerated as the years went by, but the woman was truly one sick puppy.

Only when an aged cook Madam LaLaurie had chained to the kitchen stove attempted to kill herself by starting a fire were this serial killer's dark secrets discovered -- in the form of several slaves found horribly mutilated and tortured, yet still alive. Soon thereafter, a mob of people, incensed at LaLaurie's brutal treatment of her slaves, violently attacked the residence. LaLaurie herself, unfortunately, managed to escape the mob and most likely made her way to Paris (no one really knows where she went or what happened to her). Purely for the purposes of this movie, though, it is rumored that she actually settled in St. Francisville, Louisiana. That sets the stage for the story.

Supposedly, this was originally supposed to be a real documentary about the investigation of a real haunted house, which explains why real ghost hunter Troy Taylor turns up to demonstrate the different pieces of ghost-hunting equipment the designated investigators will use. Somewhere along the line, though, that original idea -- for better or for worst -- was scrapped.

Enter the four young people chosen to participate in this experiment: Paul, looking to authenticate some of his own ghostly encounters; Tim, the film student who is basically there for the filmmaking experience; Ryan, a female history student who gets spooked easily; and Madison, a psychic and true believer who feels it is her mission to free the ghosts residing in the house. The acting is surprisingly good overall for such a low-budget film ($250 grand), and the interplay between characters feels natural. A lot of viewers find Madison annoying; she can be loud, she talks a lot, and she's always going on about white light and protecting themselves. She's really the only person who takes the whole investigation seriously (and appreciates the possible dangers) from the beginning, though, so it makes sense to me that she would behave the way she does.

The movie never really generates any real scares, but it does have its creepy moments (as well as one unforgettably gross scene) -- and it doesn't screw up everything that came before with a lame ending. I do hope that folks will look past all of the bad reviews and give The St. Francisville Experiment a chance. I've watched -- and enjoyed -- it twice now, and I'm pretty sure I'll watch it again sometime in the not too distant future. There's just something about this film that keeps me coming back.