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Benjamin Stiles, a rich but bored son of an American diplomat, has been expelled one too many times from private school for being a prankster. Ben doesn't mean any harm; he's just fascinated with scaring people, mainly his schoolmates, with the belief that ghosts exist and he can call on them at any time. But this time his father has had enough. As "punishment", Ben is sent to live with his estranged grandfather, Jason Stiles, at his mansion in Maine. Ben sees this as ultimate punishment but upon his arrival he tries to follow his grandfather's house rules as best as he could ... until one night he sees a faint shadow of a woman dressed in a dark red coat in the distance. Was it a ghost, or was it his imagination?
Ben rushes outside and runs in the direction of the spooky looking figure which takes him across the road, out of the Stiles property and into the neighbouring lot, belonging to the Winslows. He meets a polite and pretty girl, Katharine, the niece of Ellicott Winslow. The two teenagers quickly become friends. But Ben learns that there's an ongoing feud between the two families that goes way back a few decades. Jason Stiles blames Katharine's uncle, Ellicott, for the tragic death of his sister, Mary Alice, who was struck and killed by an oncoming vehicle on the road that separates both properties on the day that Ellicott and Mary Alice planned to elope. Ellicott maintains his innocence but Jason won't believe him. The ghost that Ben has seen wandering the Stiles grounds is Mary Alice.
The two young friends seek the advice of a professor of the paranormal and are advised to call on the ghost to communicate with her. Both Ben and Katharine are nervous, but they walk the grounds late one evening, and see the ghost on the terrace appear and reappear. They call out to her. Meanwhile, Jason and Ellicott come running to stop them, but a tree branch falls on them, pinning them to the ground. Now the ghost of Mary Alice Stiles appears before everyone. She asks them to put an end to the family feud once and for all. She explains to them that her death was purely an accident. On that fateful day, Ellicott didn't know that she was running to see him. She had spotted a deer in the path of an oncoming vehicle. She darted out to save it, but she was hit instead. The accident was no one's fault. Then her spirit fades. The story ends with both families coming together. A happy ending.
Shot entirely in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, BELIEVE is rated "PG" and is a children's ghost story. It features an almost entirely Canadian cast, including an outstanding performance by Czech born actor Jan Rubes as the strict grandfather "Jason Stiles" and a notable cameo by well known SCTV alumni Andrea Martin as professor Muriel Twyman". Director Robert Timmell utilizes actors from his earlier 1996 horror film project "Frankenstein And Me" including Rick Mabe as "Benjamin Stiles" and Charles Powell as "Courtney Hartney" the English literature tutor. BELIEVE is more than your average ghost tale. It's also a story about forgiveness and love. The Stiles were a divided family, but learn to come together and try again in the end, led by the elderly grandfather.
| The character of "Mary Alice Stiles" is played by Stephanie Morgenstern. The Quebec based actress has appeared in the Oscar nominated film "The Sweet Hereafter". She also works behind the scenes as a screenwriter, director, and producer of independent films. In a rare interview this year, she speaks to interviewers about her work in "Maelstrom" as well as in "Remembrance". |  |
 | Produced by Avalanche Entertainment, the DVD version of this film was released on 4 April 2000. Running time is 97 minutes. Includes interactive menus, scene index, cast biographies, trailer, and Spanish subtitle version. Coded Region 1. |