The Haunting in Connecticut (2009)

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.

Director:

Peter Cornwell

Writers:

Adam Simon, Tim Metcalfe

Stars:

Virginia Madsen, Kyle Gallner, Elias Koteas

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Charts one family's encounter with the dark forces of the supernatural. When the Campbell family moves to upstate Connecticut, they soon learn that their charming Victorian home has a disturbing history: not only was the house a transformed funeral parlor where inconceivable acts occurred, but the owner's clairvoyant son Jonah served as a demonic messenger, providing a gateway for spiritual entities to crossover. Now terror awaits when Jonah, the boy who communicated with the dead, returns to unleash horror on the innocent and unsuspecting family.

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Plot Keywords:

cancer | mortuary | reverend | funeral parlor | vomit | 

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Taglines:

Some things cannot be explained.

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [jp]

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 March 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Extrañas apariciones

Filming Locations:

Teulon, Manitoba, Canada

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£1,127,679 (UK) (27 March 2009)

Gross:

$55,325,526 (USA) (8 May 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lionsgate, Gold Circle Films, Integrated Films & Management

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min 102 min (extended cut)

Sound Mix:

SDDS DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie reunites actors Elias Koteas and Virginia Madsen who appeared together in The Prophecy nearly 15 years previously.

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Goofs

The movie takes place in 1987 and features Ward 13.

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Quotes

Matt Campbell: Mom, if I die...
Sara Campbell: No! You won't.
[she turns and hurries out of the room]
Matt Campbell: [under his breath] ... it's not your fault.

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Connections

Features The Freshman (1925)

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Soundtracks

"Feetsball Fun"
Composed by Hal Beckett (as Hal Foxton Beckett)
Performed by Hal Beckett (as Hal Foxton Beckett)

User Reviews

Horror Grounded in Reality is Back, Finally!

I'm sure it helped that I was in the right mood and the right atmosphere when I saw this movie at a midnight screening at South by Southwest, but The Haunting in Connecticut was a horror movie that really struck a chord with me.

I'm a longtime fan of this genre, getting acquainted with all the old classics and cult films through USA Saturday Night Horror when I was young, and continuing to see and love newer ones, such as The Ring, throughout college. However, when I go on a rant about the current state of horror movies, I tell people that today's movies make you heighten your sense of disbelief too much in order to be scared – I call it "fantasy horror." There aren't enough movies like The Exorcist anymore where it absolutely feels real, like something that has always existed but you've just been lucky enough to avoid.

I loved The Haunting in Connecticut, because it is much closer to reality horror than fantasy, and I suppose that's because it's based on a true story. It just doesn't feel like it came straight out of someone's imagination. It was the kind of movie where, not only did I find myself wondering about the true story of the Snedeker family, but when I went to sleep that night, I couldn't help pondering the history of my own home and its previous tenants. If you're the type of person who loves horror movies, I assume that's the exact creepy way you want them to resonate.

Besides the background story, one of the other reasons I think this movie worked was because of the performance of Kyle Gallner. This young man plays a much more complex (and believable) protagonist than most of the ones I've seen in horror films lately, as his character, Matt, has a very familiar (and scary in its own right) disease that makes him question whether the haunting is real, or a symptom of his sickness. I venture to say that his character could have made an interesting movie even BEFORE the paranormal activity starts, but Gallner was exceptional in this role, and I think we'll still be talking about "the boy in The Haunting in Connecticut," 10 years from now.

So for true horror movie fans, I definitely recommend checking this one out. Sometimes there's nothing wrong with a horror movie based completely in fantasyland, like Nightmare on Elm Street, but the creepiest horror usually has a dose of reality. This film will scare you, it will make you think and it will leave a lasting impression.