‘The Haunting In Connecticut’

Rating: 5/10

Every year a gaggle of horror movies sets up shop at your local movie theater, and most of them aren’t worth a matinee fee.

“The Haunting in Connecticut” falls somewhere between the creepiness of “The Orphanage” and the predictability of “Jason X.” This film takes its cues from all previous horror movies, and the end result reeks of genre standards. Characters are spooked by ghosts in hallways, ghosts in mirrors and ominous violins that cue every “surprise” moment.

This movie couldn’t even scare a horror novice, and that accomplishment should be impossible for a script based on real events. “Haunting” should have stuck more to capturing what horrified the Campbell family and less on what scare tactics worked in movies like “The Sixth Sense” — that’s right, this movie has another ghost with a message.

While Matt Campbell (Kyle Gallner) suffers from cancer and undergoes hospital treatments, his family is going through its own turmoil with a former alcoholic father and a stack of fresh bills.

Ultimately, the decision is made to move Matt closer to his hospital, but the family’s choice of residence is unfortunate.

Soon after moving in, Matt becomes a conduit for the supernatural. Cue those spooky violins.

That setup takes almost a half hour to get through before the audience sees even one glimpse of an eerie shadow.

OK, stop the violins, it’s over.

The film then proceeds to drag from one scary scene to the next, but there is never any buildup.

Tension is avoided at all costs to make room for useless updates about what other characters are doing.

Wait, the audience wants more scares. Bring the violins back in.

Ultimately this movie can’t decide if it’s a drama about a son who has cancer or a slightly creepy movie about a haunted house.

“A Haunting in Connecticut” is better suited for renting or even forgetting. Do yourself a favor. Skip this one in theaters, and save your quarters for the next Seth Rogen film instead.