7.3

The Haunting in Connecticut

This is is pretty straight-forward ghost story. A family whose teenage son (Kyle Gallner) is sick with cancer moves into an ominous home with cheap rent to be closer to the hospital for treatment. All is fine until Matt sees and feels things which should not be. There's also a mysterious annex to the basement—he chose to make the creepiest room his bedroom. 

The interesting angle in The Haunting in Connecticut is the blurring between the perceived supernatural and the medical effects of the boy's treatment: he was told to expect hallucinations and if he does, he drops out of the experimental program. So of course he is motivated to deny these apparitions. I felt this tantalising possibility was opened but never exploited. 

The supporting cast of mother, father siblings and obligatory priest (who seems to be of the Orthodox faith) are all competent and the shots at aptly atmospheric, dark and tense. There are more than a few jump-in-your-seat moments, which is always nice. It is in the unfolding of the story that I found disappointment. It's all too predictable and explained. When things look like they'll knot up into mystery and confusion, a neat little library trip solves everything from ectoplasm, seances and the former funeral parlour located in the home (which explains the on-site crematorium). 

The sound is either Dolby stereo or Dolby 5.1  and the image transfer on DVD is pretty clean except I did notice some low-light grain. Others have shown that low-budget can still be gripping but unfortunately, it is not the case in Haunting. There are just too many loose elements to make it entertaining. 

Only get it if you're a horror-junky with nothing better to do; otherwise, you'll be annoyed. 

Felix Staica