Haunted

Tepid sex scenes and clichéd characters sink this absurd romantic thriller from Martin (The Ghost Illusion). In 1898 Arizona, miner Boris Koblinsky fatally strangles sex worker Jenni Bauters in the Copper Star Saloon after she objects to his rough treatment. The story then skips ahead to the present, when the saloon has been converted into a successful hotel managed by spunky Jenny Spencer. After dashing millionaire Cain Barrett offers Jenny a temporary position helping him set up his own hotel nearby, the two swiftly and predictably fall in love. As Jenny’s infatuation grows, however, she starts having ghostly visions, and soon learns that the Copper Star was the site of other hauntings 15 years earlier. Then a flurry of unexplained events throws things further out of whack: Cain stops a biker from assaulting Jenny, a male guest is found dead in his room at the Copper Star, and someone steals one of Cain’s valuable stallions. Unfortunately, those mysteries are frequently sidelined in favor of lukewarm erotica (“Jenny moaned, and Cain just kept kissing her, taking what he wanted, the rush growing stronger, his arousal strengthening”), and Martin’s flat characterizations don’t help matters. Even bodice ripper fans are likely to be bored. Agent: Alexandra Machinist, CAA. (Oct.)