Haunting in Connecticut Review
There used to be a time when the old “haunted house” story would actually grab a scare or two from the audience. Movies like “Poltergeist” and “The Amityville Horror” (the original) sometimes made its viewers think twice when it came to trying to find the perfect home. Unfortunately, it’s now 2009, and- like the homicidal maniac and alone in the woods stories before it- the haunted house stories have started to become stale. Enter “The Haunting in Connecticut”.
I'm looking for a good horror movie too...
“The Haunting In Connecticut” is a based on a true story about a family who moves to a new home in order to be closer to the hospital, where the oldest son (Matt) is being treated for cancer on a trial therapy. Though Matt’s mother Sara learns that the house used to be a funeral home, she moves the family there anyway. Soon after the family starts to get situated, the family begins the experience paranormal events, and they and the audience soon learn the tale behind the home…
I will say this: it was refreshing to go into a horror movie and see that there was more of a reliance on cheap scares than blood and gore. However, after a while the scares get predictable, and cliches come back into play. I saw the movie the day after it came out with my friend Mark. I’m not gonna lie; there were times when both of us jumped and held hands. But towards the end of the movie it really started to drag, and by that time we were just waiting for the story to wrap up. It felt like the director had the right idea in the beginning of the movie, but then just started to fall back on the same old formulas and cheap tricks.
The cast in and of itself did a pretty solid job. Some of the scenes were a little ridiculous (drunken guitar playing, anyone?), but the main cast does try its best to keep the movie afloat. Virginia Madsen, Martin Donovan, and Elias Koteas- none of them new to the acting game- do great jobs in their roles. Kyle Gallner, who plays Matt, held his own against his veteran counterpoints, doing a great job of the transformation(s) that he had to go through during the film. Finally, Amanda Crew, who plays Matt’s cousin Wendy, wasn’t horrible. However, I just wasn’t interested in her character. Likewise with the two children who plays Matt’s younger brother and younger cousin. The three of them felt like “take-em-or-leave-em” type characters, and if I had the choice, I definitely would’ve cut them out of the movie.
If you’re someone who loves the gore-it-up horror movies, skip this. Except for a little blood here and there, this movie really isn’t for the gore loving or “torture porn” crowd. If you’re someone who’s just constantly looking for a horror movie to watch, check this out. For me, I love horror movies and if there’s a horror movie coming out, there’s a chance I’m gonna be the one in the group pushing to go and see it. But for this movie, I think it would’ve been better to check out as a rental. I give it a C-.
I remember seeing an ad for that movie featuring the kid. My comment at the time, if I remember correctly was “Hmm, that child is puking ghosts.” So it sounds like it was better than I was personally expecting it to be. Maybe I’ll check it out when it hits the ol’ DVD.