Iffy for 14+
Unoriginal, shoddy horror film is too gory for young kids.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this is a review of the movie shown in theaters and not the Unrated Special Edition, which is sure to have scarier, raw content. This "based on a true story" horror film, while milder than movies like Saw, is still too scary and disturbing for kids. It's full of mutilated bodies, bloody scenes, supernatural violence, and medical and autopsy imagery. There are also fairly serious discussions of the challenges facing a teen fighting cancer. One character is a recovering alcoholic who starts drinking again and ends up driving drunk. But the language doesn't get much stronger than "hell" and "oh my God," and sex and product placement aren't an issue.
- Families can talk about the appeal of horror movies -- why do we like to watch things that scare us?
- Which is scarier: a movie with a ghostly villain or one with areal-life bad guy? Why?
- How accurate do movieshave to be when they're "based on a true story"? Can filmmakers makechanges even when they're using that label? Is that OK? Why would they want to change things?
The good stuff
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Messages: No strong/obvious positive messages. The question "Why do bad things hapen to good people?" is asked. Characters also talk about how "the Lord works in mysterious ways" and frankly discuss how alcohol and alcoholism affect a marriage and a family.
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Role models: No strong/obvious positive role models. Characters (including a young teen) face cancer and are concerned about being able to afford medical treatment.
What to watch for
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Violence: Plenty of violence and gore, with extensive depiction of blood, scars, cuts, wounds, and mass graves filled with emaciated, mutilated corpses. Ghosts take the form of mutilated corpses. Close-ups of medical instruments and procedures undertaken in the name of dark magic/sorcery/paranormal experimentation. Supernatural violence as restless spirits shove, push, and batter victims.
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Sex: A woman is in the shower, but nothing sensitive is shown.
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Language: Fairly mild, including "Jesus" as an expletive, "good Lord," "oh my God," and "hell."
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Consumerism: Not an issue
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Drinking, drugs and smoking: Characters drink hard liquor. A recovering alcoholic starts drinking again, driving drunk and frightening his family; he later apologizes, atones, and tries to make amends.
Fan Reviews provided by
5
Finally a Real Horror Movie by kdw416
This movie had everything that you would expect from a horror film. Unlike alot of the garbage of remakes that we are being forced to watch (Friday the 13th) this movie actually scares you. Not since the Exorcist and Amityville Horror have a horror film actuall did what it was suppose to do. Scare you. The acting in this movie was great. Everyone played their part and no one seemed out of place. THe story line just flowed and not at any point do you wonder what is going on. It all went together perfectly. I love horror movies and rarely do I find something that makes me jump out of my seat. This was more of the old horror films that was made in the 70's and 80's. No blood or gore just imagination at it's best. As with any good horror movie there has to be a twist and you get that as well. I have been waiting a long time for a true horror film to come out. Hopefully Hollywood will realize that originality is the way to go and not remakes. Stop with the remakes already.
5
The best horror movie ive ever seen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! by rockerbouy1
i have seen tons of scary movies and soo far this is the best. Unlike most movies, the haunting in connecticut wasnt cheesy. It was very well played and scared the s*** out of my friends. I recommend this movie to any1 who has a heart for horror. However i do not advise any adults to let children in.this movie was scarier than i am legend.The best part about this movie was that it was BASED ON A TRUE STORY. I absolutely fell in love and today i am going to see it for the second time andwhen it gets out i am going to buy it and put it on my ipod. hope they make some good posters because i love it. So get your but up, go to the movies, and watch THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT. u wont regret it. I love this movie. the movies worth watching a million times.
4
glad I didn't listen by alexnbill
I'm glad I didn't listen to almost every instinct and review this movie has gotten. I dont usually go to see horror movies because if you see too many, eventually they wont scare you anymore. This one did the trick for me. I loved it! It was well acted and was some what in the reaches of reality. Obviously things were changed to make it spookier for the big screen but who hasn't exagerated a little. It made me jump more than once. Great movie for the occasional horror movie-goer!
4
Surprisingly Good by angiegirl8709
I'm not a big fan of scary/horror films. But my friend talked me into going to see this and I don't regret it at all. Not your typical bloody gory horror film. It's a somewhat freaky story line that keeps you on the edge of your seat and actually really does scare you a little instead of just making you jump here and there. One of the better scary movies I've seen
5
Very Scary! by alyssa<3
I wanted to go see this movie because it was scary but was rated PG-13, which usually means it's not THAT scary. Because this was based on a true story, it made it very believable - it even showed pictures from the real house at the end of the movie (be sure to stay and see them!). A lot of surprise pop-outs, so if you're not into that, I wouldn't see it. It had a perfect balance of ghosts and gore - there wasn't too much gore, but enough where I had to shut my eyes a few times. If you're into ghost stories, definitely the movie for you. Cried once in the movie because the plotline was very sad, but I NEVER cry during movies. Music and sound effects (as well as visual effects) were amazing - really made the movie. If you held your ears the whole time, it wouldn't be scary at all. I definitely recommend seeing this - finally a thriller that actually scares you! However, if you're one of those who has nightmares after seeing horror films, definitely not the one for you.
4
Never thought I would see a good PG-13 horror film again. by TheDude1
Recently there haven't been good horror movies that were rated PG-13, but thankfully this chances all of that. The acting is incredible, the story even though it is not entirely true or even 60 percent true is still very good. Most movie fans who enjoy a good horror film with probably like this.
Overall this is a must see and would not be a waste of time or money.
4
A Horror Flick by rickgpr
When I bought tickets for this movie, I was thinking that it was going to be like An American Haunting. I did not read any reviews before I viewed the movie. This movie is nothing like An American Haunting. It starts out slow, like most horror movies, but then it really starts to pick up. I must say that I actually jumped several times during this viewing. I think you will too!!
5
Best I've seen. by regalmovies21
Honestly, I don't know what these people are expecting when they sayi it was the worst scary movie. Me and the people I went with have seen hundreds of horror movies and can safely say this was one of the best we have EVER seen. They really spiced it up from the original documentary and the story line is great. I don't think I blinked for ten minutes at one point cause it was so intense at the end. I HIGHLY recommend seeing it especially if you love the show a haunting on discovery channel. It was a great movie and you won't leave disappointed!!!
5
Ok well Imagine by GoodMoviesIsWhatiDo
Great.Now im in the 7th grade. My friend wanted to see a movie and she really liked scary movies. i was iffy on the whole scary thing. This movie was good. wasnt to scary. Nothing real gorey. Just left you holding on til the end and wondering how everything was going to play out. it was really good! Go see it! and for all you kids out there like me you most likely wont have nightmares. Enjoy.
5
BEST SCARY MOVIE by lilt0do0d
this movie was by far one of the best horror movies ever
i loved the movie from beginning to end