REELGUY’S DVD REVIEW: “The Haunting in Connecticut” - The haunted house sub-genre alive and well

A family goes through a truly harrowing ordeal, in a story based on true events. The yarn is spun gradually in this horror-thriller, as the viewer begins learning more and more about the dark history of the house. The initial family drama of a sick child suffering from cancer keeps you interested before the scares start. The unexpectedly riveting performances from the sick teen Matt (Kyle Raynor; TV’s “Smallville”) and his concerned mother Sara (Virginia Madsen; “Sideways”) help sell the family dynamic when the creepy hallucinations begin. The tone of the movie is perfectly created by a relatively inexperienced director, Peter Cornwell, with a building sense of dread which eventually manifests itself as creepy apparitions. The mixing of a fascinating séance back story, riveting internal family drama, and the ghouls (or are they hallucinations?) creeping into your periphery vision create a terrifyingly tale that will literally keep you awake at night.

The film focuses on the Campbell family and their everyday trials getting their son the therapy he needs to survive. The travel back and forth to the clinic for experimental trials is a long and arduous journey for Matt and his mother. The family decides to look for a home closer to Matt’s medical treatment to rent, despite the fact this will tax the family’s financial resources. When they find an old house with a low rent, despite hearing of it being haunted, Sara decides Matt needs the rest stop. The doctor warns Matt that if he begins seeing things, he will need to end the treatment. Matt, therefore, tries to ignore the dead bodies he sees shuffling around the room and the visions of prior occupants of the house. This becomes impossible when items around the house begin moving and the teen starts getting physical abrasions on his body. The other members of the family also begin experiencing things, leading to a horrific final night where all is revealed.

While I have seen haunted house movies before, I have not seen them interwoven with a family tragedy and a fully-realized séance/death pictures story quite like this. The movie keeps adding creepy elements, leaving clues to the final, horrific ending. The viewer investigates the mysteries with the heroes; just when you think the film is over, there is more to uncover. Both Raynor and Madsen put in sympathetic and compelling performances, elevating the movie above the horror standard. “The Haunting in Connecticut” reminded me of the late 70s/early 80s horror films which were the standard bearers for building anticipation. These films left the true scares to the audience’s imagination, which this film also successfully does.

“The Haunting in Connecticut” is the best horror film I’ve seen since 2005‘s “The Descent.” Just because you may have seen other haunted house movies before does not mean there is not something new to explore. The protective mother and absent father story never gets old when well-performed. “The Haunting in Connecticut” proves the haunted house sub-genre is alive and well.

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