The Haunting in Connecticut (2009) Reviews

• Predictably clichéd. But, surprisingly well made.

  GirishGowda2010-05-23

  Sara Campbell (Virginia Madsen) and her husband, Peter Campbell (Martin Donovan) decide to move to Connecticut when the long journey for the treatment of cancer to her son, Matt Campbell (Kyle Gallner) is taking a huge toll on his body. The 5 children and her move into a cheap rental home, but it is quite huge. The father stays back at his job and only comes to Connecticut at weekends. The house has a history behind it. It was actually a mortuary in the 1920's, where Ramsey Aickman was famous for his seances which were attended by Harvard professors and all kinds of big shots. He had an assistant Jonah, who was a kid, and he was a medium who could amplify the nature of these seances. During one of their seances, all the sitters around the seance were killed, except Jonah who was never found again. But now Jonah is haunting Matt and things start to get weirder as the days go by. This film is 'based on a true story'. How many times have we seen a horror movie which proclaims itself to be based on true events? Most of the times its just a cheap trick to make more money. So, I had decided long back never to watch a horror movie by thinking that it was actually a true event. This film is clichéd and sort predictable upto a point. Do we have a kid who can see ghosts? Check. Do we have parents who think he is hallucinating? Check. Some cute adorable children? Check. A haunting history to the place? Check. A guy of faith to help them in their time of need? Check. A friend who will believe Matt? Check. Cats or other animals possessed? No. Surprising, isn't it? Possessed animals are quite a hit among horror movie directors. Anyway, the thing which makes the movie a believable true story is the ending in which Sara says her son is fine and has no cancer now. That would be a kind of proof that this was a true story. Even with all of the clichés, this is a very well made movie which is worth a watch. The real high point of the movie is Kyle Gallner who gives a haunting performance as Matt, the cancer kid who can see the dead. We can see the subtle change in him when he is kind of possessed by the ghost, in the scene where he makes his little brother sleep on a metal table used for autopsies in the funeral room and spins the boy round and round and the look on Matt's face was extremely creepy. He is truly an amazing actor and looks frightening throughout the movie. Virginia Madsen needs no special mention, we all know that she was an Oscar nominee and a good actress. She pulls in the necessary requirement of the character. Elias Koteas as Reverend Popescu didn't do enough justice to the role. That's just my opinion. The father character played by Martin Donovan did a good job, except in the drunk scene, where it really didn't add anything to the story. The graphics are quite cool and it is very stylistically shot which makes it quite a good horror movie. The editing is slick and the ghost scenes look really cool. There are no false jump scares and the background score is well done. 7/10

• Horror Grounded in Reality is Back, Finally!

  steelydwill2009-03-24

  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.

• Haunting in Connecticut keeps Casper in Wyoming

  MovieZoo2009-03-27

  I really did hesitate to see this movie because I had not seen many that have interested me since the days of Poltergeist - one exception being The Exorcism of Emily Rose. I loved both despite the obvious difference in style. I found The Haunting In Connecticut disturbingly fun. It definitely had its own style which at times made me wonder when the signs of it bombing were going to appear. I think that was part of why I enjoyed it because it never did disappoint me. This mixture of reality and the supernatural kept me on the edge of my seat. Was it the trauma of cancer causing so much grief for this family or the chilling(yet burning), hidden secrets of the dead in this funeral home that kept expectations from settling on one aspect or the other? The fact is both were enough to draw attention away from the other while we try to make our own conclusions. An innocent, everyday family deals with the possible, yet probable death of young Matt, who at times suffers excruciatingly from dealing with the unknown and death that he is convinced is his destiny. Squeezed between what is and may be real was enough, but then deal with the likes of a stranger who claims to be a reverend...c'mon, this is classic stuff. You can't take all this in without suffering a little, especially when the family itself starts to fall apart when they need to stick together. While there are some questions that may not be answered, the story itself was more than satisfying. Special effects were kept to a minimum but used effectively and when needed. Acting was not Oscar worthy but good enough to make it all seem real. Fun when you want it and scary when you need it. It's definitely a 7/10

• Do not understand the bad reviews!

  SexiLoverGirl3202009-07-15

  So before I watch any movie I come here to see what it is about and what other people thought of it. I came here to see about The Haunting in Conneticut, and most of the reviews I seen were bad. I wasn't looking forward to this movie because of it, but I had a chance to watch it at a friend's house, and I was completely amazed by what people thought about it. Now I am not going to say it was the best haunting movie ever because it wasn't, but the movie as a whole was pretty good. The acting was good, it made you feel for the characters in the movie (espically the boy), it was definitely different as far as the plot, and even though the scary moments weren't terrifying, there were plenty of them to keep me interested. This movie has a lot of what you would call assumed and interpreted stuff in it. I'd bet a lot of that got cut, so it is up to the user to interpret and assume what they were going for. Maybe some people aren't smart enough to do that and need the in your face drama/horror to be satisfied. I love movies that make you think, and also movies that someone else said...a reality movie. These other movies like nightmare on elm street and all those coming back from the dead killing people for 10 plus movies are just fantasy. Some would argue hauntings are also, but I do not agree. Maybe not to the extent of the movies, but I do believe in real hauntings. The movie people have to make it interesting and I am not one to bash them for it :) Overall, The Haunting in Conneticut is a good movie. I will not tell you what happens :) but I will tell you that do not always listen to what other people think. This movie was well acted, had some very innovative scenes, the plot itself while not completely different from other movies was made it's own and I do not think it deserves the bad reviews it got. I enjoyed it. One last thing before I go. People who watch movies just to pick them apart have no business writing reviews for it. Critics have their job for a reason, so leave it to them to defile a movie. Sit there and enjoy the movie. That's it. You do not have to sit there and try to guess what happens next. You do not have to pick apart the acting and how bad you think they are. I understand when the movie really is crap, I've seen a lot of those too, but if you have seen so many movies and can't sit there and watch a movie and enjoy it for what it is then keep your opinions to yourself!

• Truly scary and not in a predictable way

  brunoncosta2009-07-14

  I have to vote 9 out of 10 for this one! I really don't get impressed that easily with horror movies and I wasn't really excited to see this one ... it was just another night with another horror movie.. But then ... I was amazed with the director's geniality and the way he can scare us when we least expect. It kind of reminds me of movies like The Exorcism of Emily Rose but in a good way ... it's dark, it's cool and a nice movie to watch if you want to be amazed with a movie. You really get the nerves on during the movie and it plays you well. As for the acting, it is quite obvious but all in all it's not that bad. You can really see the effort to make it look real. The soundtrack has its way through your brain not getting that much annoying and keeping you awake in case you're watching it at a late time. Although it is really difficult to fall asleep cause you often get a surprise or two ... and people pop out of nowhere... That's the good part! Enjoy it ;-)