[The Haunting In Connecticut]
Plot:When Sara (Madsen) and Peter (Donovan) Campbell's son Matt (Gallner) is diagnosed with cancer, they uproot their family to Connecticut for his treatment. As the family settles into their new home, Matt grows increasingly disturbed by paranormal activity that seems to inhabit and possess the house. At a loss to help her frightened family, his mother turns to an enigmatic priest (Koteas) who appears to rid the house of its ghosts--until the boy's condition takes a sudden and unexplained turn for the worse and their lives are put in grave danger.

Cast:Virginia Madsen, Elias Koteas, Kyle Gallner, Martin Donovan, Amanda Crew.

My Thoughts:So......when exactly does it get scary?

Review:It's kind of sad how I always keep applying confidence and faith in haunted house movies. I think I really need to accept the fact that none will ever top the 1999 "House On Haunted Hill" remake. None made after the year 2000 that is. Lionsgate attempts to reinvigorate a pretty dead and disappointing subgenre with "The Haunting In Connecticut".

A film which involves a family with a cancer-ridden son, who move to a new home in Connecticut. A house which of course turns out to be...wait for it.....haunted! Of course the family is totally unaware of the evil spirits that lurk about the house, and their total obliviousness causes them to decide to settle down there. Of course we the viewer are made fully aware of the ghosts, in typical supernatural movie fashion.

Which comes in the form of flash editing, over, and over, and over and....over again. Seriously, I have not seen a film use this much flashy editing since the "Saw" movies. And their excuse is that it adds a certain coolness to the movie. So what's the "HIC" filmmakers excuse? Probably because without the unexpected flashes of someones eyelids being removed, or someone burning, there'd be loud snores coming from the viewing audience.

Seriously, those are the only things that kept me awake. When I found myself nodding off during this movie...BAM! Another flash-edited scene of someone being tortured. Then, I'm fully awake. Brilliant isn't it? It's like cinematic caffeine pills! Virginia Madsen who plays the mom, and Kyle Gallner...who plays her cancer-ridden son, are the films main talent. Madsen plays her role really well, getting the emotional scenes down pat.

Gallner however only goes through two emotions throughout the whole movie. Anger, and depression. Then back to anger. But considering he has cancer, he's not exactly supposed to be jumping for joy, so I give him a pass. However, the main ghost of the movie decides to target him for a reason revealed much later on in the pic. The only familiar name beside Gallner and Madsen is Amanda Crew, who plays Wendy...the cute yet not too annoying sibling of Gallner's character.

The thing to like about her character beyond her not being annoying, is that she also gets a really suspenseful shower scene where she's attacked by some ghosts, and also the fact that she's not a complete moron when confronted by the houses supernatural residents. One thing this movie does get right though is the ghosts and their interaction with the characters. They mostly target Matt (Gallner) beyond anyone else in the house, and for a good reason.

Due to his cancer, and receiving of radiation treatments, no one believes him hen he tells them he's seeing strange things such as blood, dead people, etc. And because he is under duress that the treatments will stop if the doctors learn he is becoming delusional, he also stays mostly tight-lipped about what he's been seeing. It's not the best plot caviat, but it's alot better than having moronic characters that are oblivious or miss seeing the ghosts every waking moment.

But this movie is wrecked by the lack of real scares and any sembleance of a real intriguing story. It actually breaks down like most typical standard new-age ghost movies. Someone has nightmares while in the new house, then they eventually have to solve the unresolved issue the ghosts have to free themselves of the supernatural dreams.

Looking at the trailers, you'd think this film would go a different route, with spirits which are just bad to the bone. But instead it takes the emotonal and over-dramatic route by turning the story away from "Amityville Horror" overtones, and instead lacing it with "Lifetime Movie Of The Week" overtones. And unless you count the semi-violent flash editing, and the occasional shot of blood, the film doesn't offer up any real terror, suspense, or genre basics such as blood, gore, or violence in any way shape or form. It's a standard suburban scare flick.

Meaning it's for the occasional horror movie watcher, not hardcore genre fans. For they will be bored to tears with this one. I know I was. And if you're thinking maybe the films ending holds some promise, well beyond some slamming doors and a house fire, there's nothing brilliant at the end of act three at all. "The Haunting In Connecticut" is a pretty tame ghost story for people who like tame and uninspired horror.

Positives:Madsen brought her "A" game acting wise. Crew was pretty good.

Negatives:No real scares, nothing works to scare the audience. Hardly any blood or gore, and the ghosts and their unresolved issues were just lame.

Overall:One star out of four.





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