Have you ever found yourself sitting up late at night watching a "Ghost Hunters" marathon?

Irresistible?

Simply can't help yourself.

I understand.

In 2006, Hollywood gave us "An American Haunting, " a Courtney Solomon film starring Donald Sutherland based upon one of the American South's greatest folk legends, the Bell Witch.

As legend would have it, from 1817-1821, a sinister spirit would haunt the Bell family of Adams, Tennessee, up to and including the mysterious death of the family's patriarch, John Bell.

Fact?

Fiction?

Rural legend?

I have no idea.

Yet, the Legend of the Bell Witch has been maintained for over 150 years and remains one of the region's most haunting and terrifying tales.

As terrifying as "An American Haunting" was as a dramatized Hollywood creation, Zac Adams' documentary on the subject, "The Bell Witch Legend," is even more haunting as Adams expertly intertwines historical fact, expert opinion, related interviews and a production design that evokes the sinister nature of the legend itself.

Narrated by Lynn Hoffman (A&E's "Private Sessions"), "The Bell Witch Legend" is a beautifully designed, intelligently crafted and surprisingly involving documentary that not only looks at the Bell Witch but also examines the history of the Bell family and the small town of Adams, Tennessee, an area that remains impacted by this ghostly legend to this very day.

It is said that at the time of the legend itself no less than then President Andrew Jackson caught wind of the story and ventured to the Bell homestead to experience the legend for himself, spending no more than one night before leaving and reportedly saying he'd rather face the whole British Army by himself than spend another night at the Bell's.

Truth?

Fiction?

I don't know.

The legend of the Bell Witch is also the first documented account of a ghost's physical killing of a human being, in this case John Bell himself by poisoning.

Truth?

Fiction?

Again, I don't know.

What I do know is that director Zac Adams has compiled an interesting web of history and folklore, story and personal experiences. Adams interviews well known historians, local residents and, most impressively, descendants of the Bell family. The interviews are compelling, involving and natural without an air of manufactured drama or histrionics as is often found on "Ghost Hunters."

Tech credits are solid across the board, most notably the mood-setting narration of Lynn Hoffman and excellent cinematography from Bill Cornelius. Only a brief live-action segment recreating Bell's deathbed scene feels a touch manufactured and out of place.

The only other complaint one could conceive with "The Bell Witch Legend" would come from its brevity, a rather slight 50 minutes given its pending availability on home video.

Despite these minor quibbles, "The Bell Witch Legend" is a solid addition to the home video collection of anyone with an interest in folklore, legends, ghost stories or hauntings. With intelligence and style, Zac Adams has created a memorable documentary about an unforgettable Southern legend.