 The movie is actually based on a true story. Andrew Jackson is  quoted as saying, "I would rather take on the entire English Fleet  than stay one night at the Bell House." He later formed a group of  men to test the rumors of the Bell haunting. Their findings are  documented in M. V. Ingrams 1894 book, An Authenticated History of  The Famous Bell Witch. This movie was based on the book by Brent  Monahan,The Bell Witch: An American Haunting the Famous Bell Witch.