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daphne
Joined: 30 Sep 2007
Posts: 185
Location: Pacific Northwest
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 Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 1:42 pm Post subject: The Haunting in Conneticut |
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There was a tv special last year I did a blog on (the only entry I have so far - shame on me) called A Haunting in Connecticut. It's based on a haunting investigated by the Warrens, famous demonologists. A family moves up north so their son can be closer to a hospital; he's battling Cancer.
When the family moves into a big home, strange things start to occur. The house used to be a funeral home, and it was suggested that one of the owner was banging some of the corpses - necrophilia is supposed to be something that attracts demonic activity.
Anyway, there was a preview for a movie based on the events starring Virginia Madsen tonight at the theater. Some of the preview looked promising. Kind of creepy. The writers changed parts of the story, of course, and I wonder if the Warrens will be depicted in the movie.
Here's the IMDB link
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0492044/
If you haven't seen the tv special already, here's a link to someone on Youtube who has the entire tv special in 9 parts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdKSokL5Abk
I think the movie trailer is everywhere now, and you'll have no trouble finding it, if interested.
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B-Independent.com
Joined: 31 Oct 2006
Posts: 189
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| Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2009 12:21 am Post subject: |
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the dvd has been out for a few months. I've been telling people since the docu-drama first aired a number of years ago that it's not just the scariest piece of television i've ever seen, but one of the most frightening movies, period. that is some creepy, creepy shit, and it's also seriously low-fi with all the effects looking as if they were done on set and in camera.
you can look up the case on the internet and see where the family claims it's all bullshit made up by Ed and Lorraine Warren to sell books. It seems that Ed and Lorraine don't like to admit to hoaxes, even when other folks involved, like the primary partipants, do.
as for the special, it's connected to an even lower-fi show called simply A HAUNTING..., and the short 30 minute episodes can be just as intense as CONNECTICUTE.
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TheCabinet
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Joined: 15 Aug 2006
Posts: 369
Location: Beaverton, OR
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| Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2009 1:36 am Post subject: |
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How interesting about the hoax - I hadn't heard that before. I wonder if they still get a share of the profits despite their claims...
I saw the previews for the feature film and was completely turned off. B's right how the low-budget effects really added an ambience to the TV-movie that truly added to the creepiness. The film looks like it goes the opposite direction and goes overboard with the effects.
One of my major complaints of "Based on a true story" horror films is when they feel the need to alter the storyline significantly for whatever reason. If it is creepy enough to bother, why not just tell us what happened? If there are claims of a hoax in this case, I guess this one gets a slight exemption.
The worst was Emily Rose... The movie shoved the whole "Her story needs to be told" in the audience's face but changed all of the facts and real locations, presented things out of context, and completely warped "her story". Sigh... |
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daphne
Joined: 30 Sep 2007
Posts: 185
Location: Pacific Northwest
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| Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 12:05 pm Post subject: |
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It's weird that they'd claim hoax after being interviewed in the special!
I agree with the "based on a true story" remark. Wouldn't it be nice if there were some sort of legislation that categorized the authenticity of the story line? There's such a fuss over the R rating. Well, as a fan I'd like to see a fuss over the "based on a true story" rating. If it's not even in the same ballpark, then you shouldn't be allowed to say it at all. Example - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre being "based on a true story" - Ed Gein. C'mon now.
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B-Independent.com
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| Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 3:46 pm Post subject: |
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Just because something is "based" or "inspired" by a true story doesn't mean its going to stick to the facts as they happened. The only movie I can think of that actually did this was BLACK HAWK DOWN, which at one point re-created over and hour's worth of action on a minute by minute basis.
Often, the real events are far more interesting than what appears on screen, but that doesn't neccesarily mean it will make a great cinema. I can understand how the filmmakers what to make a visually dynamic picture and therefore take liberties with places, people, and action.
As for the Warren's, I'm fascinated by them. Long before Ed passed, they were surrounded by controversy by making their "cases" fit their religious views. If I remember correctly, Jay Anson, who I believe is the guy who wrote the novel THE AMMITYVILLE HORROR, is the one who called them out on that story's bullshit, despite the Lutz's never changing their story.
I just went looking for the family's website that called bullshit on the case. It was part of their lawsuit, and I came across the link on Wikipedia a few years ago. It's now nowhere to be found, nor is the information on wikipedia chronicalling the events as depicted from both sides. I can only assume this is because of the upcoming movie, and any contradictory info would help detract from the marketing.
To sum up, the son has admitted to being heavily involved in drugs, and that alone was responsible for his savage behavior. I'll keep looking for those links and pass them a long if I find anything...grrrr....
Personally, I find the Warren's fascinating. I've been looking for their books for a few years, but most are OOP and don't come cheap on eBay. If you get the chance, check out the similar Smurl case chronicaled in THE HAUNTED, a surprisingly effective made for tv movie from the early 90's. I'm not sure if its on disc, but it plays on the Encore and Starz Mystery channel every few months. Again, the case if VERY similar to the Connecticut case, with a number of events being identical. the first 30 minutes is just random wtf that gives the movie its edge.
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B-Independent.com
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| Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 4:53 pm Post subject: |
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Posted by: Ray Garton on June 21, 2008 at 16:34:11 @ http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=346
My name is Ray Garton. Back in the early nineties, I wrote a book called IN A DARK PLACE: THE STORY OF A TRUE HAUNTING. It was published as "non-fiction", but that was just marketing. I went to Connecticut to meet with the family involved in the alleged haunting of their former house, which used to be a funeral home. I was never able to see the inside of the home because the people who were living there by then wanted nothing to do with the "haunting", which they said was utter nonsense. It was my job to get the family's story down on paper and into a book. I worked with the family, and with the "ghostbusters" or "demon hunters" (whatever they happened to be calling themselves at the moment), Ed and Lorraine Warren, and their nephew John Zaffis. The family now claims they had "little involvement" in this book -- that is simply a lie. They were DIRECTLY involved with the book -- it was them, the Warrens, Zaffis, and myself, nobody else. I attempted to get their story. Unfortunately, the members of the family couldn't seem to keep their "facts" straight. Their individual stories simply did not fit into one smooth hole. Now the Snedeckers and those associated with the movie claim that the book I wrote "remains a source of controversy." The only source of controversy was the Snedeckers, because they just couldn't keep their stories straight. I went to Ed Warren and told him the problem. He laughed. "They're crazy!" he said. "Everybody who comes to us is crazy, otherwise why would they come to US? Just do the best you can. You write scary books, right? That's why we hired you. Use whatever you can of their story, make the rest up, and make it scary." And that's what I did. The book IN A DARK PLACE is a combination of elements of the family's story and stuff I made up -- because it was a for-hire writing job, AND THAT'S WHAT I WAS TOLD TO DO. If this family is saying they had "little involvement" in this book, then they are bald-faced liars. They were involved from beginning to end, and THEY COLLECTED THE CHECK FOR IT. They were deeply involved in IN A DARK PLACE, and they were PAID for it -- their names are on the cover of the book along with my name and Ed and Lorraine Warren. I never got to meet their allegedly ill son -- I was only allowed to speak with him briefly on the phone. Although there was much talk of his illness, it was NEVER verified for me, although he did have a drug problem. It was discovered that the girls in the family who claimed to have been groped by so-called invisible, demonic hands were actually groped by HIM. The Warrens and Zaffis claimed they had videotape that clearly showed supernatural activity inside the house, and they told me numerous times that they would SHOW me that videotape. Somehow, during our time together, they just couldn't manage to find it. Not only did I not see that footage, I never saw an actual VHS videotape at ALL. Since my experience with the Warrens and this family, I've talked to other writers who have written books for Ed and Lorraine, and they've told me THE EXACT SAME STORY. This is how the Warrens have always worked, and Zaffis, who's learned well from them, is now carrying on the family business (and that's all it is -- a BUSINESS). They find a very "emotional" family with claims of some supernatural activity in their lives, convince them there's money to be made if they just shape this into a better "story" (and this family was very eager to make money -- at the time I knew them, Carmen was involved in some kind of interstate lottery scam), then they hire a writer of horror fiction to write it up as a book -- "Make it scary," Ed told me -- and they've got themselves a package, a piece of merchandise that they can hawk on talk shows and that the Warrens can discuss in their VERY lucrative lectures. And perhaps they can convince someone in Hollywood to make a movie of it. Of course, in THIS case, the book I wrote has been shoved aside and isn't involved in the making of the movie THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT. It will be VERY interesting to see how much of this movie contains the material that I WAS TOLD TO MAKE UP. We'll see.
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TheCabinet
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Joined: 15 Aug 2006
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| Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 5:18 pm Post subject: |
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Hmmm... This story sounds all too familiar. With the rise in paranormal interest (and shows), I'm kind of shocked that the next great "American Haunted House" story hasn't come along. Those fellows in Georgia that stuffed a Bigfoot costume in the freezer tackled the wrong topic. 
B - If you know the address of the family's old site, you can pop it in the Internet Archive service and should be able to pull up the old pages:
http://www.archive.org/index.php |
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B-Independent.com
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| Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 5:26 pm Post subject: |
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unfortunately, i don't. i think i had the lawsuit page bookmarked on my pc a few wipe and reloads ago...
From what I remember, the site belonged to the Son, where he admitted to his drug use and doing most of the henious acts while under the influence. It also spoke about his lawsuit to get the truth told, and the hoaxsters to fess up.
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daphne
Joined: 30 Sep 2007
Posts: 185
Location: Pacific Northwest
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| Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 11:20 am Post subject: |
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Drug use has been connected with demonic infestation because it supposedly leaves one open to influences. As to houses not being haunted after the families that had the trouble left, it's always chalked up to the demon following the family, or the exorcism working; in either case, of course the new family doesn't experience anything weird.
At least that's what "they" say. I tend to leave my mind open to the possibilities. It's just funner that way.
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TheCabinet
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| Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 7:14 pm Post subject: |
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Of course, financial problems also leaves people open to influences as well. I'm with you though - it is interesting to wonder what really happened to these folks that caused them to at least form the basis for the story. Whether or not it is all true becomes slightly irrelevant to me if one tiny bit of it (supernatural-wise) was true. I could just as easily argue that they might be motivated to cry "Hoax!" now if they were unprepared and/or want no more of the spotlight the story put on the family.
Of course, I also have to maintain a healthy balance of skepticism. If nothing else, the first film was good. Sadly, I think I might wait for DVD (if then) for the new version after seeing the trailer and how warped from the original account it has become. If the "hoax" is true, it is wild to think that the story keeps snowballing to the point where it becomes absolutely implausible. |
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TheCabinet
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| Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 9:32 pm Post subject: |
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If either of you are interested, Tom G. and I just wrote up a Dark Destinations entry on the house where it all took place, including the stories, controversy, and what-not. Pretty fascinating case really. The mother seems to really stand by what happened there.
The actual house appeared in Discovery's docudrama surprisingly, which you can see by switching over to Street View mode.
The Haunting in Connecticut House
-Casey H. |
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B-Independent.com
Joined: 31 Oct 2006
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| Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2009 10:38 pm Post subject: |
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Wow! You guys really did your homework on that one.
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B-Independent.com
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xenulavey
Joined: 26 Apr 2009
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Location: Chicago
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| Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2009 2:07 pm Post subject: |
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| Hell, I checked out the movie with my two younger sisters. Eh, it was alright but I wasn't awe struck. Just another mediocre haunting film with one or two worthwhile "jump moments" ruined by their obviousness. |
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BillyJeans28
Joined: 07 Jan 2009
Posts: 70
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| Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 7:03 pm Post subject: |
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| IMO i liked the movie...it hella scared my friends and i when we were watching it haha...i even like the whole storyline of the movie...pretty good i must say |
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