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Bookmark this pageThe Haunting in Connecticut (2009)
Director: Peter Cornwell
Movie review
From Time Out London
From the Amityville school of dubious real-life paranormal mumbo-jumbo comes this dour, self-serious but surprisingly effective little haunted house shocker. When teenage cancer victim Matt Campbell (Kyle Gallner) moves with his family into the requisite old house with ‘a bad history’, he’s soon beset by ghoulish hallucinations: blood, burned kids, and gangs of grumpy ghosts festooned with mysterious runic calligraphy. Mum Sarah (Virginia Madsen) thinks it’s just a side effect of the medication, while recovering alcoholic dad Peter (Martin Donovan) is too busy staying off the wagon to pay any attention. But as Matt digs deeper into the mystery, he becomes convinced their new home is plagued by the restless, abused spirits of the damned.There’s nothing remotely original in ‘The Haunting in Connecticut’, but director Cornwell holds things together admirably, wasting no time on his all-too-familiar setup, preferring to bludgeon his audience into submission with a parade of obvious but well-judged ‘gotcha’ moments and chucking in a decent scare at least every 5-10 minutes. If things become a mite operatic in the home stretch – with suitably haggard man-of-God Elias Koteas popping up to ‘cleanse’ the place of its ancient evil – there’s certainly enough here to satisfy the post-pub crowd in search of a few cheap, grab-the-armrest thrills.
Author: Tom Huddleston
Time Out London Issue 2015, Apr 2-8 2009
User reviews of this film
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- The Real Mr Bombastic said...
- Posted on May 12 2009 10:28 Screw you Mr Bombastic, I'm the real Mr Bombastic!!! I made you with your mother!! Eat the donkey scrotal sack!!!!!! Mwaa xx Peace out mother fucker.
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- Mr Bombastic said...
- Posted on May 12 2009 10:23 Donna ur a faggot who gives a shit if she hasnt seen it?
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- Donna said...
- Posted on May 04 2009 12:10 Why commenting when you do not know its like.. see it first plz!
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- ami xP said...
- Posted on Apr 16 2009 17:38 I havent seen this film yet but it looks and sounds brilliant///
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- chloe brett said...
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Posted on Apr 15 2009 17:09
this film is the best film i have ever seen
it is soo scary i was jumpinng out of my skin lol
go and see it its soo good x - Report as inappropriate
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- katherine said...
- Posted on Apr 10 2009 14:07 This film is so bad.....I hate horror films but was talked into going to see it. So i went along, and sat waiting and waiting to be scared out of my seat...It never came!!! The only time i got out of my seat was to leave after a hour of the film........So bad, waste of money....I want a refund please.....
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- Big Ben said...
- Posted on Apr 09 2009 17:39 for all you people who say this is rubbish you obviously are virgins, this is based on a true story which in its own right deserves respect. i enjoyed it and would advise you to see it. a real jumpy thriller in my books 8/10
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- Charlotte said...
- Posted on Apr 09 2009 15:42 I think this film was really good. I jumped a lot and was actually scared to look at some points in the film!! I was even a bit scared to turn the light off when I got home. The whole audience jumped throughout the film and was obviously enjoying it. I wold recommend this movie to ghost flick lovers. Charlotte x P.s Werent the victorians wierd!!
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- Alex said...
- Posted on Apr 09 2009 10:40 This film does not even deserve rating of 2 out of 10. It is terrible. I am not sure how some people have given this film a good rating but I now wish I didn't read the reviews on this page last night before deciding to go and waste my time. This is not a chilling or horror movie. There wasn't even moments that I thought it really hit the audience. Someone on this page said that some people were laughing during the film. He was right. There was nothing chilling about this film. Well that said, it really depends on how you rate a film as horror. This certianly not a chiiling film in my book,
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- Dan said...
- Posted on Apr 08 2009 20:07 Unoriginal, predictable, tedious. Will make you jump, but that's it. Don't waste your money - this terrible film goes to show that Hollywood just can't do horror.
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- Myles said...
- Posted on Apr 08 2009 17:58 haha I thought it was mint to be honest! Looked at the name and thought 'Oh god this is gonna be crap' but no, it was amazing! I thought the story line was good and it being based on a true story made it more epic.
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- joe said...
- Posted on Apr 08 2009 12:04 didnt even finishmy slushwas staring to hard at the screen. jumpy and fun...loved it. more films like this pleaseeeeeeeeee
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- Katie said...
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Posted on Apr 08 2009 10:08
ABSOLUTELYYY FANTASTIC !!!
10/10 - Report as inappropriate
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- Sophie W said...
- Posted on Apr 07 2009 15:52 I can officially say take a change of pants with you.
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- weegee said...
- Posted on Apr 06 2009 17:16 going 2 c this tonight,Cant wait as daughter says its FAB! be interesting as i have cancer also,so lets see.....
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Cast & crew
Director: Peter Cornwell
Cast: Virginia Madsen, Kyle Gallner, Elias Koteas, Amanda Crew, Martin Donovan full cast
Rated: 15
Duration: 102 mins
UK Release: Mar 27 2009
US Release: Apr 1 2009
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