Real Crime Stories/Paranormal Hauntings/Conspiracy Theories Book II

The Haunting in Connecticut

The Haunting in Connecticut is a2009 American supernatural horror film produced by Gold Circle Filmsand directed by Peter Cornwell. The film is alleged to be aboutCarmen Snedeker and her family, though Ray Garton, author of In aDark Place: The Story of a True Haunting (1992), has publiclydistanced himself from the accuracy of the events he depicted in thebook. The film's story follows the fictional Campbells as they moveinto a house (a former mortuary) to mitigate the strains of travel ontheir cancer-stricken son, Matt. The family soon becomes haunted byviolent and traumatic events from supernatural forces occupying thehouse.

Although the film was moderatelysuccessful at the box office, grossing $77,527,732, it received"generally unfavorable reviews" according to Metacritic. In2010 Gold Circle Films announced the production of two more entriesin the franchise, The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia(released 2013) and The Amityville Murders: A Haunting on LongIsland. They noted, however, that neither film would be a directsequel to The Haunting in Connecticut and would instead beself-contained films with unique characters.

Plot

In 1987, Sara Campbell (VirginiaMadsen) is driving her son Matt (Kyle Gallner) home from the hospitalwhere he has been undergoing cancer treatments. Sara and her husbandPeter (Martin Donovan), a recovering alcoholic, discuss finding arental house closer to the hospital. On another hospital visit, Sarafinds a man putting up a "For Rent" sign in front of a largehouse. The man is frustrated and offers her the first month free ifshe will rent it immediately.

The following day, Peter arrives withMatt's brother Billy (Ty Wood) and cousins Wendy (Amanda Crew) andMary, and they choose rooms. Matt chooses the basement, where thereis a mysterious door. After moving in, Matt suffers a series ofvisions involving an old, bearded man and corpses with symbols carvedinto their skin. The next day, Peter learns that the house wassupposedly a funeral home; the room behind the mysterious door is amortuary.

Matt tells another patient, ReverendNicholas Popescu (Elias Koteas), about the visions. Nicholas adviseshim to find out what the spirit wants. Later, Matt finds a burnedfigure in his room who begins to move toward him. When the familycomes home, they find a shirtless Matt with his fingers blood-coveredfrom scratching at the wall.

The family begins to crack under thestress of Matt's illness and bizarre behavior. The children find abox of photographs, which show Jonah, a young man from Matt'svisions, at a séance, emitting ectoplasm from his mouth. Wendy andMatt find out that the funeral home was run by a man named RamseyAickman. Aickman also conducted psychic research and would hostséances with Jonah as the medium. At one séance, all thoseattending, including Aickman, were found dead and Jonah disappeared.

Nicholas theorizes that Aickman waspracticing necromancy in an attempt to control the dead and bind themto the house. That night, Nicholas finds human remains in the houseand removes them. Matt awakens to find Aickman's symbols carvedinto his skin. He is taken to the hospital, where he encountersJonah. Nicholas and Matt begin to have simultaneous visions. Everyonein the séance is burnt, after a flash of bright light. The barelyalive Aickman told Jonah to get out of the house, concerned that thedemonic presence will get him next. Jonah uses a dumbwaiter toescape, calling for help. Entering an unknown chamber, Jonah realizesthat he has entered the crematory. The spirit traps Jonah in thecrematory, and cremates him alive.