The Haunting in Connecticut (2009)
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A family seeking refuge for their cancer-stricken son moves into a former funeral home with a dark history of necromancy.
The story
In 1987, Sara Campbell and her husband Peter seek a rental house near a hospital where their son, Matt, is undergoing experimental cancer treatments. They find a large house that was formerly a funeral home. Upon moving in, Matt begins experiencing terrifying visions of a bearded man and corpses. As the family struggles with Matt's deteriorating health and bizarre behavior, they discover the house's dark past involving a man named Ramsey Aickman, who conducted psychic research and séances. The family begins to disintegrate under the stress of the haunting and Matt's illness as they realize the house holds malevolent secrets.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1987, Sara Campbell and her husband Peter move their son Matt, who is undergoing cancer treatment, into a former funeral home in Connecticut. Matt soon begins experiencing visions of a man named Jonah and corpses with carved symbols. The family discovers the house was run by Ramsey Aickman, who practiced necromancy and held séances. A Reverend, Nicholas Popescu, helps them realize Aickman tried to bind spirits to the house. During a séance, Aickman and his guests died, and Jonah was cremated alive. As Matt's condition worsens, he begins to show signs of possession, with Aickman's symbols appearing on his skin. Nicholas discovers human remains and removes them, but Matt eventually escapes the hospital and returns home. He breaks through walls to reveal hidden corpses. Jonah's spirit seemingly possesses Matt, who sets the house on fire. As the house burns, the spirits are freed. Matt survives the fire and, in a final vision, sees Jonah in a graveyard. An intertitle reveals that Matt's cancer miraculously disappeared after the events, and the house was rebuilt.
- First release year
- 2009
- Runtime (minutes)
- 92
- Production countries
- United States; Canada
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Peter Cornwell
- Writers
- Adam Simon · writer; Tim Metcalfe · writer
- Cast and characters
- Virginia Madsen · Sara Campbell; Kyle Gallner · Matt; Martin Donovan · Peter; Amanda Crew · Billy; Elias Koteas · Nicholas Popescu
- Genres
- supernatural horror; psychological thriller; religious horror
- Themes
- family dynamics; illness; necromancy; spirit possession
- Tone and mood
- tense; atmospheric; grisly
- Premise and plot tags
- based on true events; haunted house; supernatural
- Source material / true-story basis
- In a Dark Place: The Story of a True Haunting (1992) by Ray Garton
- Franchise connections
- The Haunting in Connecticut
- Content notes
- horror
- Reception
- Largely unfavorable critical reaction, though praised for atmosphere and performances.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 33 · scale: 100 · review count: 23
- Awards and nominations
- Best Ghost Story · Home Media Magazines 2009 Reaper Awards · 2009 · win
- Production trivia
- John Carpenter was originally attached to direct the film.; The film features historical photographs from the archives of Thomas Glendenning Hamilton.; The owners of the actual house reported many visitors due to the film's publicity.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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