The Haunting in Connecticut

It would seems the critics in general have managed to do their damage on this Peter Cornwell film as when I saw it yesterday, opening night there were four people, including myself, in a theatre which seats six hundred. Four people! This tells me either people listening to the scathing reviews of which I've read a couple dozen, not one of them complimentary or this economic tail spin we are all in is far worse than I possibly imagined. All of this being said, THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT wasn't that bad at all. A standard "based on true events" things that go bump and do other squidgy things in the night spook house freak fest. My biggest complaint would have to be with Kyle Gallner who did a bang up job but I just can't watch without thinking I'm looking at Wil Wheaton! Not a bad thing but damn does it ever throw me off. Virginia Madsen does fine as the stressed out mother of the brood being terrorized by the beasties from beyond and we get some fine support from Martin Donovan and Amanda Crew though I think they could have made better use of Elias Koteas. Something about him playing a priest when he could have been one of the ghoulies without needing makeup just doesn't seem right. Speaking of makeup, because of the cancer wreaking havoc with the body of Gallner's character we have him running about in practical white face for most of the film which is genuinely creepy and on the topic of creepy you just have to feel for the family currently residing in the Southington, Connecticut house which has been haunted for real but looney tune ghostbuster wannabes! I also feel for the cast and crew as they shot thissucker out in Winnipeg which would be enough to scare the hell out of me! As the events this supposedly depicts took place in '80s I have to make special mention of the great job the arts department did with the sets and continuity and of you can see it on the big screen do so as the sound work is spectacular.