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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
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