A Haunted House
Malcolm and Kisha move into their dream home, but soon learn a demon also resides there. When Kisha becomes possessed, Malcolm - determined to keep his sex life on track - turns to a priest, a psychic, and a team of ghost-busters for help in this spoof of all the "found-footage/documentary style" films released in recent years.
Despite its limited budget of $2.5M, A Haunted House became a runaway success, earning $60.1M worldwide—a remarkable 2306% return. The film's unconventional structure attracted moviegoers, showing that strong storytelling can transcend budget limitations.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
A Haunted House (2013) exhibits deliberately positioned narrative design, characteristic of Michael Tiddes's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 26 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.4, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Malcolm Johnson
Kisha Davis
Dan the Security Man
Father Williams
Chip the Psychic
Main Cast & Characters
Malcolm Johnson
Played by Marlon Wayans
A paranoid man experiencing supernatural occurrences after his girlfriend moves in with him
Kisha Davis
Played by Essence Atkins
Malcolm's girlfriend who becomes possessed by a demonic entity after moving into his house
Dan the Security Man
Played by David Koechner
An eccentric and inappropriate security camera installer who attempts to help Malcolm
Father Williams
Played by Cedric the Entertainer
A street-smart priest who performs an exorcism on Kisha
Chip the Psychic
Played by Nick Swardson
A flamboyant psychic medium who tries to communicate with the spirits in the house
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Malcolm and Kisha film themselves as a happy couple moving in together, establishing their playful relationship and Malcolm's documentary-style recording of their life.. Structural examination shows that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 10 minutes when Strange paranormal activity begins in the house - unexplained noises, objects moving, and disturbing footage captured on Malcolm's cameras, disrupting their happy cohabitation.. At 11% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 20 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This illustrates the protagonist's commitment to After a particularly terrifying incident, Malcolm decides they must actively confront the demon rather than ignore it or leave, committing to fight for their home and relationship., moving from reaction to action.
At 42 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 49% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat The demon's possession of Kisha intensifies dramatically, raising the stakes from mere haunting to full supernatural control, making it clear this is a serious threat to their relationship and safety., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 63 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Kisha becomes fully possessed and attacks Malcolm viciously, representing the death of their relationship and the loss of the woman he loves to the demonic force., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 68 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 79% of the runtime. Malcolm discovers key information about how to perform an exorcism and realizes he must face his fears and truly commit to saving Kisha, synthesizing all the spiritual knowledge he's gained., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
A Haunted House's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping A Haunted House against these established plot points, we can identify how Michael Tiddes utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish A Haunted House within the comedy genre.
Michael Tiddes's Structural Approach
Among the 3 Michael Tiddes films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.5, reflecting strong command of classical structure. A Haunted House takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Michael Tiddes filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Michael Tiddes analyses, see Fifty Shades of Black, A Haunted House 2.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Malcolm and Kisha film themselves as a happy couple moving in together, establishing their playful relationship and Malcolm's documentary-style recording of their life.
Theme
Discussion about commitment and what it means to face challenges together in a relationship, hinting at the theme of whether love can survive supernatural adversity.
Worldbuilding
Establishment of Malcolm and Kisha's relationship dynamics, their new home, introduction of supporting characters including Malcolm's friend and family members, and the couple's initial excitement about living together.
Disruption
Strange paranormal activity begins in the house - unexplained noises, objects moving, and disturbing footage captured on Malcolm's cameras, disrupting their happy cohabitation.
Resistance
Malcolm dismisses the paranormal events while Kisha grows increasingly frightened. They debate whether to take it seriously, consult various experts including a psychic and priest, and Malcolm resists fully committing to addressing the supernatural threat.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
After a particularly terrifying incident, Malcolm decides they must actively confront the demon rather than ignore it or leave, committing to fight for their home and relationship.
Mirror World
Introduction of Chip the psychic and Father Williams, who represent different approaches to dealing with problems and serve as comic mirrors to Malcolm's skepticism and eventual belief.
Premise
The couple tries various methods to deal with the demon - cameras everywhere, ghost hunting equipment, psychics, spiritual cleansings - delivering the comedy promised by the premise through parodies of found-footage horror tropes.
Midpoint
The demon's possession of Kisha intensifies dramatically, raising the stakes from mere haunting to full supernatural control, making it clear this is a serious threat to their relationship and safety.
Opposition
The demonic activity escalates with increasingly violent and disturbing incidents. Malcolm's attempts to help Kisha fail repeatedly, their relationship deteriorates under the supernatural pressure, and the entity grows stronger.
Collapse
Kisha becomes fully possessed and attacks Malcolm viciously, representing the death of their relationship and the loss of the woman he loves to the demonic force.
Crisis
Malcolm faces the devastating reality that Kisha may be lost forever, grappling with whether to give up on her or risk everything to save her from possession.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Malcolm discovers key information about how to perform an exorcism and realizes he must face his fears and truly commit to saving Kisha, synthesizing all the spiritual knowledge he's gained.
Synthesis
Malcolm confronts the demon in a climactic exorcism sequence, using everything he's learned and proving his commitment to Kisha, ultimately battling the supernatural force for her soul.
Transformation
Final twist showing the aftermath of the demonic encounter, with Malcolm and Kisha's relationship fundamentally changed, closing on a darkly comic note that mirrors the opening footage but reveals transformation through trauma.