Seen on: March 28, 2009

The players: Director: Peter Cornwell, Writers: Adam Simon, Tim Metcalfe, Cast: Virginia Madsen, Kyle Gallner, Elias Koteas, Amanda Crew, Martin Donovan

Facts of interest: Supposedly based on true events.

The plot: A family experiences creepy things after moving into an old home.

Our quick thoughts: In Peter Cornwell’s horror thriller “The Haunting in Connecticut,” a family moves into a creepy house and soon starts to experience a bunch of supernatural events. But guess what: instead of getting the heck out, they decide to stay put and endure the spookiness a little longer.

Yeah, the characters in this film are ridiculously stupid, and watching them see dead people for nearly 92 minutes is neither suspenseful nor entertaining. I don’t know about you, but I am utterly sick of pathetic horror flicks offering me nothing but a lame story line and a bunch of cheap thrills that simply don’t cut it.

Unfortunately, unnecessary productions like “The Haunting in Connecticut” still attract large audiences, and I still don’t know why so many moviegoers don’t have higher expectations when it comes to this genre. Do these folks really get a kick out of all these monotonous jump scares? What about story?

Anyway, “The Haunting of Connecticut” bored me to death, and I really couldn’t find anything in this movie that I would consider as scary or original. It’s a dumb film about crazy people having creepy visions in a haunted house, and to be honest, the world would have done just fine without it.

“Haunting” is also apparently based on a true story, but as the film unfolds, this line just becomes more and more laughable. To be honest, I really found myself unable to take anything in this movie seriously. I just expect a little more for my money than watching people have weird dreams and see dead folks vomit into the air (no kidding).

About the cast: lead actress Virginia Madsen isn’t that bad in the role of a concerned mother, but she obviously doesn’t have much to work with here. Kyle Gallner, Amanda Crew and Martin Donovan suffer the same fate but surprisingly manage to deliver a bunch of decent enough performances.

Freaky quote: “Why do bad things happen to good people?" – Virginia Madsen

The final word: I won’t say anything else about the plot because it’s just not worth it. Fans of cheap scares may have a blast watching “The Haunting in Connecticut,” but if you’re on the lookout for a little bit more than that, don’t even dare enter this house. This one’s forgettable indeed.

Article by Franck Tabouring