The real story behind The Haunting in Connecticut centers on the Snedeker family's claims of paranormal experiences, although the movie adaptation takes significant creative liberties. While marketed as a true story, its origins are more complex, blending alleged real-life events with fictionalized elements for dramatic effect.
The Snedeker Family's Account
The film is primarily based on the experiences reported by the Snedeker family after they moved into a house in Southington, Connecticut, in 1986. They claimed their new home was infested with demonic entities and experienced severe paranormal activity.
Key Aspects of the Snedeker Family's Claims:
- Former Funeral Home: The house they moved into had a previous history as a funeral home. This detail became central to their claims, suggesting that the former use of the property as a place for embalming and preparing bodies for burial contributed to the alleged haunting.
- Paranormal Activity: The family reported a wide range of unsettling phenomena, including:
- Unexplained noises and voices.
- Objects moving on their own.
- Apparitions, particularly of spirits associated with the funeral home's past.
- Physical assaults and manifestations that deeply affected family members.
- Exorcism Attempts: Following their escalating experiences, the Snedeker family sought assistance from paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. The Warrens, well-known for their involvement in other famous cases like the Amityville haunting, documented the Snedeker case and allegedly performed exorcisms in the home.
Movie vs. Reality: Creative Liberties
While the core narrative of a family tormented by spirits in a former funeral home is retained, The Haunting in Connecticut film significantly deviates from the family's original account for cinematic impact.
| Aspect | Snedeker Family's Account (Alleged) | The Haunting in Connecticut Film |
|---|---|---|
| Source of Haunting | Spirits connected to the funeral home's past, including necrophilia. | Focus on the spirits of the deceased from the funeral home, amplified. |
| Severity of Events | Intense and prolonged, leading to alleged spiritual and physical harm. | Dramatized and visually horrifying; some events are exaggerated. |
| Family Dynamics | Real-life challenges, as documented by investigators. | Characters and their struggles are often fictionalized for narrative. |
| Exorcism | Alleged attempts by Ed and Lorraine Warren. | Depicts a climactic, intense spiritual confrontation. |
| Visual Elements | Based on described experiences. | Utilizes CGI and special effects to create terrifying imagery. |
The film amplifies the terror, focusing on visual manifestations and jump scares typical of horror genre movies. It distorts the timeline and specific events, weaving a more cohesive and dramatic narrative than the often fragmented and personal nature of real-life paranormal claims. As such, while the movie is "inspired by true events," it is not a literal translation of the Snedeker family's story but rather a heavily dramatized interpretation.
