The Haunting in Connecticut (2009)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Peter Cornwell

Writers (WGA):

Adam Simon (written by) &
Tim Metcalfe (written by)

Release Date:

27 March 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Some things cannot be explained.

Plot:

After a family is forced to relocate for their son's health, they begin experiencing supernatural behavior in their new home, which turns out to be a former mortuary.

Plot Keywords:

Mortuary | Funeral Parlor | Haunting | Cancer | Bird

US Showtimes:

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Cast

Virginia Madsen	...	Sara Campbell
Kyle Gallner	...	Matt Campbell
Elias Koteas	...	Reverend Popescu
Amanda Crew	...	Wendy
Martin Donovan	...	Peter Campbell
Sophi Knight	...	Mary
Ty Wood	...	Billy Campbell
Erik J. Berg	...	Jonah (as Erik Berg)
John Bluethner	...	Ramsey Aickman
D.W. Brown	...	Dr. Brooks
John B. Lowe	...	Mr. Sinclair
Adriana O'Neil	...	Chemo Nurse
Will Woytowich	...	Cop
James Durham	...	Matt's Cell Mate
Darren Ross	...	Paramedic #1

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of terror and disturbing images.

Runtime:

92 min | 102 min (extended cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44104) | UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Finland:K-15 | Brazil:14 | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Netherlands:16 | Sweden:15 | Mexico:B15 | Hong Kong:IIB | South Korea:15 | Singapore:PG | Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Teulon, Manitoba, Canada

Company:

Gold Circle Films

Trivia:

Although the film states that the house was destroyed in a fire and rebuilt, there was never a fire and the original house still stands today.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Matt starts to burn the room with the bodies in, as it shows the floor you can clearly see where the "fire" is coming out of a machine in the floor.

Quotes:

[Matt and Wendy sitting at the table looking at things they found in the floorboards]
Wendy: [looking at Matt] What?
Matt Campbell: [Looking at a picture of Jonah] Nothing.
Wendy: [to Matt] Matt come on, just give me a chance.
Matt Campbell: [Showing her the picture of Jonah] I've seen him.
Wendy: [to Matt] Shut up.
Matt Campbell: [Putting away the picture of Jonah] Gave you a chance.
Wendy: [to Matt] I'm sorry okay just, go on.
Wendy: [to Matt] Please.
Matt Campbell: [Continuing to show Wendy the picture of Jonah] I thought that I was hallucinating, but i have seen this kid, almost everyday since we've been here.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Version of A Haunting in Connecticut (2002) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Kiddie Tune

Horror without the horror

If you heard that this is based on a true story, then don't be afraid; there's nothing scary about it.

Haunting in Connecticut tells the story of a family who moves into a creepy, run-down house (which happens to have a crematorium in the basement, go figure) so that the son can receive cancer treatment at a nearby clinic. The son begins to hallucinate and slowly a story unravels about past owners of the house, ghosts and the generic morons who refuse to leave a haunted house.

The problem with contemporary horror is the absence of...horror. This film relies heavily upon the use of jump-frights, where either a loud noise or kind of-weird looking figure appearing in the background will yield the screams of a few younger teenagers in the crowd of the theater. Granted, throughout most of the movie, the actual "horror" is shown to be the hallucinations of a clearly deranged cancer patient, so you don't at all feel scared or tenuous. In addition to the mild aspect of it, this film has atrocious dialogue which kills almost every scene that is meant to be dramatic.

Granted, it is not a pure, awful, Disaster Movie-level of garbage. The directing is fairly decent, and the acting is also good. The problem lies in the horrible script dragging the performances down. Additionally, the idea to evoke fear through hallucinations and flashbacks is good on paper yet portrayed poorly throughout the film. If you are a horror buff (unlike me), I would recommend you rent it and decide for yourself, but this isn't worth the $8.50 it cost me to see in theaters.