Fingerprints from films such as “The Exorcist” and “The Shining” have been spread throughout the horror genre for years. While these classics have provided an enjoyably frightening experience for viewers new and old, they have also established an unreachable standard for new horror films.
“The Haunting in Connecticut” is another horror film that is tied down by the weight of its genre. It might have enough scares to give common moviegoers a decent experience, but avid fans of horror films will likely be disappointed. The scares are cliché, most of the imagery has been seen and the dialogue has been heard before. Though the film has a few elements of creative visual style, it isn’t enough to distinguish it from its predecessors.
The plot focuses on a boy named Matt Campbell (Kyle Gallner) who is undergoing treatment for cancer at a faraway hospital. His mother Sara (Virginia Madsen) decides to rent a house closer to the hospital. Sara is surprised by the low cost of the house and predictably asks, “What’s the catch?”
The catch, also predictably, is that the house was once a funeral home. It doesn’t take long for Matt to have visions of supernatural presences in the house, including disturbing séances and corpses. But this is to be expected when you choose the mysterious basement as your bedroom.
Madsen, from films such as “Sideways,” plays the role of the protective mother well. The unexpected contrast between the married couple gives the cast a little more appeal, but Gallner nullifies the strength of the cast with his easily forgettable performance as the sick son.
Director Peter Cornwell avoids the overwhelming amount of gore that is often seen in recent horror movies. Hacked bodies and bloody violence are exchanged for creepy images such as a box of human eyelids and chilling photographs of dead people. Though it is refreshing to see a different approach, the result was still underwhelming.
Despite some generic clichés, Cornwell attempts to break the barriers of horror films by adding a dose of reality. It is learned early on that Matt’s visions might be the result of hallucinations from his treatment. This gives the film a tint of drama as opposed to resigning itself to horror mainstays.
The film tries to establish a connection between the characters and the viewer by displaying the economic and mental hardships associated with cancer, but this is done with hardly any effort. It instead comes off as an arbitrary attempt to give the film more depth. There is no relation between the family’s problems and the house’s haunting. Instead, it might make a viewer wonder why this aspect of the story receives any attention.
“The Haunting in Connecticut” attempts to find a midpoint between drama and horror, and though it doesn’t establish that balance, it might still be enough to draw an audience. The film will startle viewers out of their seats, but they won’t be checking under their beds when they get home.
Christopher Grzan can be reached at [email protected].
