Images by Ray Bendici

The Damned Story: Like so many venerable, old structures across the state, The Yankee Pedlar Inn in Torrington has its fair share of stories. Unlike some others, however, it’s believed to also have its share of ghost stories.

Of course, that really shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. The historic inn has been in operation for over century, and in that time, has seen thousands of visitors come and go, and with them, dozens of tales of curious shadows seen around corners and troubling bumps heard in the night.

For a detailed history of the inn, visit The Yankee Pedlar Inn’s website.

For those who are averse to clicking on links, here’s the abridged version: In November 1890, an Irish immigrant by the name of Frank Conley and his wife Alice bought the lot on the corner of Main and Maiden in downtown Torrington with the dream of building the finest hotel in the state of Connecticut. Over the next eight months they set about constructing their vision, pouring $40,000 into fashioning a Victorian showplace that featured marble floors, antique oak furniture, two spacious dining rooms and 52 guest rooms, each of which included hot water. The Conley Inn opened in July 1891, and as the proprietors had hoped, it soon became one of the finest and most successful destinations in the region, and remained so until the couple passed away in 1910. The Conleys’ niece sold it two years later, when it was expanded; it then passed through various owners over the next few decades, continuing to operate as a hotel. In 1940, the Yankee Pedlar restaurant and bar was added, and in 1956, the entire operation was renamed The Yankee Pedlar Inn. The hotel continued its musical chairs of owners until the music stopped in 1997, when Anil and Dee Patel took possession. The Patels still run it today.

Have a seat ... or not.

Over the decades, there have been various stories about mysterious figures and random odd voices pestering guests. One popular story is that the spirit of founder Alice Conley—rumored to have died in Room 353—still roams the halls of her dream hotel, checking on guests to make sure that their stays are pleasant. Apparitions and strange smells have been reported in Room 353, and Alice’s favorite rocking chair in the hotel lobby has also been witnessed to rock on its own. (A sign dissuades guests from making themselves comfortable on it.)

Room 295 has also reportedly been a location with unusual activity; guests here has claimed to have experienced weird smells, felt invisible forces get into bed with them and seen the spirit of a woman. The ghost of a grey-haired gentleman in a black suit—believed to be Frank Conley—has been supposedly been seen in the inn’s pub, using the old phone there.

Other paranormal-type events have been reported, including room lights going on and off of their own accord and doors opening and closing without any help. Employees and guests have also told of being pushed or tugged by invisible forces, while others have reported experiencing unusually heightened emotions and disturbing dreams.

Although there have invariably been various incidents in the hotel over the decades, no significant tragedies have been reported as having happened there.

Various groups have investigated the inn, including the Northwest Connecticut Paranormal Society, who captured a spirit orb photo in addition to having a few other weird experiences.

In 2008, horror film director Ti West stayed at the inn while filming The House of the Devil. After talking to the hotel’s staff and hearing some of the ghost stories, he was inspired to make a movie revolving around the hotel and thus came The Innkeepers, a horror film released in February 2012.

From The Innkeepers website:

After over one hundred years of service, The Yankee Pedlar Inn is shutting its doors for good. The last remaining employees -Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy) – are determined to uncover proof of what many believe to be one of New England’s most haunted hotels. As the Inn’s final days draw near, odd guests check in as the pair of minimum wage “ghost hunters” begin to experience strange and alarming events that may ultimately cause them to be mere footnotes in the hotel’s long unexplained history.

In addition to using the inn’s actual name in the film, the lines between reality and fiction are also further confused as the production company has set up a clever viral site pretending to be a paranormal investigation portal chronicling the inn’s supposed bloody history.

Art imitating life imitating art imitating ghosts … I think.

Our Damned Experience: We stopped in at The Yankee Pedlar in January 2012 and got the pictures you see here.

The clerk at the counter was very friendly and told us we were welcome to explore the hotel. We wandered around, taking photos as politely as we could without intruding upon any guest’s stay.

Infamous room 353 was occupied, so we couldn’t check it out. We tried to take a few photos of the door, but maybe because it’s at the end of a dark hall and we didn’t want to disturb anyone so we didn’t use our flashes, we couldn’t get a decent shot of it.

We didn’t experience anything unusual during our visit, but we were only there for an hour or so, and during the day. The place has plenty of … “atmosphere,” as Kate put it—creaky floors, worn carpets, chipped woodwork, etc. We wouldn’t have been surprised if we turned a corner and saw twin girls at the end of a hall, a la The Shining.

Still, the inn is full of “Old World charm,” as they say. We didn’t get to stay the night this trip, but maybe another time. Certainly worth a visit.

If You Go: Unlike the premise in the movie, the The Yankee Pedlar Inn is not closing and is open to the public. Guests can stay in any of the 60 rooms, but as with any hotel, reservations are required (866.484.8247). Rooms start at $59/night + taxes.

Visitors can also dine year-round at Bogey’s Restaurant & Pub, which “serves delicious New England comfort food in a cozy atmosphere.”

The inn is located at 93 Main Street in downtown Torrington.

Click on any image to enlarge.

Image courtesy of Hartford Elks #19

The Damned Story: On Prospect Street in Hartford sits the stately Elks Lodge, home to The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the United States of America, one of the oldest fraternal organizations in the nation. Although the Elks have been long known for their strong community spirit, others believe their home base is also home to some other kinds of spirits.

The Elks were founded in 1868, and since then have donated millions of dollars and hours to the betterment of their local communities. The Hartford lodge was started in 1883, and in May 1903, moved into the four-story, yellow-bricked building on Prospect Street, which was the first structure ever constructed specifically as an Elks lodge. Sitting on less than an acre, the “mother lodge” was designed in the Renaissance Revival style by Hartford architect John J. Dwyer, and is constructed primarily of brownstone with limestone trim, with tall arched windows.

The building has two stories, an attic and a basement, and most of the interior features oak and mahogany finish. The main floor contains meeting and social rooms that are used for public events; one of the highlights is a grand double staircase that leads up to the second floor, which is primarily dedicated to the ancient lodge room, an ornate, quasi-octagonal space with a high domed ceiling, gilded moldings, columns and other architectural flourishes.

In 1984, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

But why might there be spirits haunting the Elks? According to a recent article in the Hartford Courant, some believe that one of the organization’s former members is still watching over the group; others suggest that paranormal happening here could be attributed to the lingering resident of a house that used to be on the same spot but was destroyed by a fire back in the mid-19th century. In 1972, a man was also found dead on the sidewalk outside the lodge, although it’s not clear if he jumped off the fire escape, was pushed or died in another manner.

The Courant article also claims Elks club members have reported feeling a presence in several locations inside the lodge, including the main lodge room, the ballroom and in the bar area. Others have allegedly heard voices, tables moving and mysterious footsteps, and have witnessed lights randomly going on and off. Some members have also alleged that they feel uncomfortable in certain parts of the building.

In July 2011, SyFy’s “Ghost Hunters” investigated the lodge, with the resulting show premiering at the end of November 2011. On the episode, it was reported that members have seen an male apparition including one instance where a lodge member’s daughter was told by the apparition to “Get out!” Other members have been touched or had their hair pulled by unseen forces. One member claims to have seen a black shadow figure in the bar area. Door knobs have also supposedly moved on their own.

During the investigation, Grant and Jason heard voices in basement. Later, Dave and Tango seemingly connected with the ghost of a former Elk, Samuel Chamberlain, who was one of the key founders of the Hartford lodge. By the end, they speculate that Samuel might be the spirit haunting the lodge, watching over his fellow Elks from the other side.

Our Damned Experience: We’ve never been to the Elks Lodge, but with all the great community work that the Elks do and amazing events they put on, it’s clear the strongest spirit there is the community spirit that pervades the entire building.

If You Go: The Hartford Elks Lodge #19 is home to over 700 members and is located at 34 Prospect Street in Hartford. The Elks have regular monthly meetings here, and it’s open daily to the public for lunch as well as other events throughout the year. The ballroom is also available for rentals.

Thanks again to Len Fasano, Fletch and the entire “Forum” crew for having us on the show to chat about Connecticut Curiosities as well as haunted places around the state. We had a great time!

Some of the subjects discussed:

• Gillette Castle
• The Glass House
• Holy Land USA (not designed by Granderson)
• The Frog Bridge
• Dunnellen Hall
• Skull and Bones
• The State Capitol
• Mansfield Training School

Thanks again to Len, Fletch and everyone for inviting us down, taking the time to talk with us!

The episode opens like many “Ghost Hunters” shows, with Jason, Grant and the crew getting the lowdown on the opera house, its storied history and the current reports of ghostly and paranormal activity (more details here). As they head into Derby (via the Shelton-Derby bridge — fun to recognize local landmarks in the background!), they discuss the various apparitions claimed to have been seen here, including a woman in white, shadows in the balcony and a gentleman in a brown suit, believed to be Charles Sterling, who died before the completion of his eponymous opera house.

The famous TAPS black vans pull up in front of the opera house and the team meets with Rich DiCarlo, Derby’s cultural commissioner who has done a nice job of bringing attention to the city’s revitalization efforts. DiCarlo provides a tour, sharing some of the experiences he and others have had at various places in the opera house. He talks about the specter of a little boy and a moving ball being seen in the balcony, and a the full-body apparition of a woman in a teal dress being witnessed in a dressing room. He also mentions how the voices of children have been heard in various locations throughout the opera house, and how feelings of general creepiness commonly permeate visitors.

While in the sub-basement, DiCarlo tells of an “attack” he personally experienced, where he discovered three slashes on his leg while down there; it was summer and he was wearing shorts, but he says he doesn’t remember encountering anything unusual. He also recounts how others have told of being touched there as well as having heard a child’s voice say, “Help me.”

Following the tour, the team gathers outside and starts setting up, noting that there is a lot of dust in the building and no power. They place cameras in various hot spots throughout the opera house, as well as microphones. They then turn off the external lights and the investigation begins.

Grant and Jason start in the dressing room, admiring a wall with the signatures of all the legendary entertainers who have tread the boards of the Sterling’s storied stage. They are looking for EVPs but quickly discover that the building has very high EMF readings, even though there is no power! It’s an unusual finding and would explain a lot of the creepy feelings, sightings and other experiences.

They go up to the balcony and while there, they both claim to hear voices and whispers, possibly female, but are not exactly sure from where they are emanating — from outside possibly? They think they can make out a few words, but nothing definitive.

Meanwhile, Steve and Tango are exploring the sub-basement and they realize that there’s a significant amount of debris and other decaying building material, which might explain the scratches DiCarlo received while down there. They set up a laser grid, but rather than detecting any entities, they hear a few crackling-like noises. (Rats or other vermin?) With the general condition of the rotting debris, it could just be things settling.

Upstairs in the main theater, Amy and Adam are checking for EVPs. They go up to the second floor and set a kids’s ball on the floor and encourage any entities present to move it if they can. It remains still.

Grant and Jason have moved on to the former city hall meeting room, and although there are no significant EMF readings here, they do see how the design of the room, with its high “hospital-like” observation windows, might make people feel like they are being watched. They don’t have any particular experiences here.

Steve and Tango are now on the main stage, and in an effort to appeal to the ghosts of shows past and spirits of former entertainers who have performed here — including Harry Houdini — Tango puts on a little magic show, doing some nifty sleight-of-hand tricks involving a poker chip. Coincidentally (?) they hear some noise in the seats in front of the stage.

The crew wraps up the investigation and heads back to the TAPS headquarters in Rhode Island to go through the recordings and other evidence gathered. Adam thinks he hears an EVP, but other than that, it’s a quiet analysis portion of the show.

Jason and Grant return to Derby for “The Reveal” with Rich DiCarlo. They show him the bang in the theater that Dave and Tango heard after Tango’s magic tricks as well as multiple EVPs: one that sounds like a kid’s voice that Jason and Grant record in the balcony (while the K2 is lit up); a “moan” that Grant and Jason captured in the dressing room; and another “groan” that Amy and Adam record during an EVP session.

The conclusion: They acknowledge that there were a lot of unusual sounds and think that there definitely might be some sort of paranormal activity occurring. The TAPS team wants to return for a follow-up investigation after the renovations are done. Rich DiCarlo seems pleased with the results.

Back in the van, Grant and Jason discuss the case, say that DiCarlo seems “well-balanced” (a compliment, I think) and reiterate their desire for a follow-up investigation. Then, with a fist bump, it’s “on to the next.”

Our Damned Experience: We enjoyed it like most episodes of “Ghost Hunters,” although the show seemed like it was a bit rushed (more commercials?). The analysis portion also seems very short, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Also, maybe we haven’t watched the show as much lately, but it seems like there was less of an emphasis on debunking than in the past.

Still, it was fun to watch the crew investigating a local landmark, and we’ll be looking forward to seeing if they do indeed return for a follow-up once renovations are complete.

On a side note: We were sad that during the episode we didn’t see Ray’s sister Joni, a “Ghost Hunters” groupie who went down to the opera house taping in hopes of a “spiritual encounter” with Jason — no luck, although she did meet the team’s dogs, which she says they said may be used in future investigations.

If You Go: The Sterling Opera House continues to undergo renovations, but still is not open to the public. It is located at 116 Elizabeth Street in Derby.

Save Our Sterling is dedicated to preserving the opera house’s history and legacy, and spearheads the renovation efforts.

For those unfamiliar with the history of the Mark Twain House, it’s where the renowned author — Samuel Clemens in real life — lived with his wife and three daughters from 1874 to 1891. While living there, Twain wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, in addition to other classic works. The Clemens family lived there for 17 years, until they left for Europe as a temporary recourse from serious financial problems. Following the death of daughter Suzy at age 24 from meningitis in 1896, the family was too heartbroken to continue living in the home, and sold it. It subsequently was a boarding school and library before becoming a museum dedicated to the life and career of Samuel Clemens that is open to the public year-round.

Recently, there have been reports of employees and visitors seeing the apparition of a young woman in a long white dress roaming the halls and ghostly faces in the windows; other have had their clothes tugged by unseen forces and heard the laughter of children, whispers and other unexplained noises. And it’s such claims that have brought Jason Hawes, Grant Wilson and the TAPS team out to investigate.

The episode follows the “Ghost Hunters” standard formula, beginning with case manager Kris Williams contacting Grant and Jason (who just happen to be on their day jobs as plumbers, conveniently unstopping a toilet with a camera crew in tow) to tell them about the investigation and give them an overview of what paranormal activity has been reported. The two plumbers, apparently big fans of classic American literature, are more excited than Calaveras County jumping frogs and leap in their van with the team and head over to Hartford.

Once on site, Grant and Jason meet up with Rebecca Floyd, the manager of visitor services for the Mark Twain House museum, who tells them about the history of the house, then takes them on a tour of the residence, pointing out the various “hot spots” where events have alleged to occur — the drawing room, library, Suzy’s bedroom, the master bedroom and nursery. The team then sets up their equipment in the appropriate locations, turns out the lights and begin the investigation.

Three separate teams explore the darkened house with the night-vision cameras in tow: Kris and Amy Bruni, Dustin Pari and Britt Griffith, and of course, Jason and Grant. Each group goes through the three main floors, and it seems as though each group has an odd experience or two. Not to give too much about the episode away, but various sounds are heard, a few odd shadows spotted and unusual readings are recorded on EMS meters and thermal imaging cameras. After spending the night in the house, they turn the lights on, pack up and head back to Rhode Island for the analysis.

Unfortunately, they quickly discover that the main DVR has crashed, taking a lot of their footage with it. Still, they have captured some interesting evidence. Jason and Grant are able to debunk one eyewitness claim — about fluttering curtains (a panel is loose) — and as the house is located on a busy street, it’s not a surprise that some of the moving shadows can be attributed to lights passing by outside.

During “the reveal” portion of the program, what personal experiences and evidence they haven’t lost is shared with Rebecca Floyd, who seems pleased with the findings.

Our Damned Experience: We have been to the Mark Twain House in Hartford numerous times, and aside from enjoying the architecture and history of the house, have never experienced anything otherworldly, nor seen anything unusual. Actually, we also never heard anything about the house being haunted until recently, which seems a bit convenient in light of how many local historic groups seem to be benefiting from the “our old site is haunted = increased visitor traffic” bandwagon.

Or as Sam Clemens himself said: “Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising.”

Not that there’s anything wrong with it — we enjoy both history and the unusual, so if they legitimately cross paths, we’re all for it. And paranormal activity or not, the Mark Twain House is still a highly recommended place to visit. The house itself is an architectural joy, and obviously, the personal history of such an iconic American personality as Samuel Clemens is exceptionally compelling.

If You Watch: If you’re already a fan of “Ghost Hunters,” there’s no reason why you won’t enjoy this episode, aside from the absence of Steve Gonsalves and Dave Tango, whose continual banter and needling usually make investigations more entertaining. (Apparently, SyFy thinks so to, and have spun the duo off on their own show, “Ghost Hunters Academy.”)

Still, it’s fun to see the TAPS team covering some renowned local ground.

Courtesy of Travel Channel

The Damned Story: If you’re not familiar with Travel Channel‘s “Ghost Adventures,” the basic premise is this — three guys (l-r, Nick Groff, Zak Bagans and Aaron Goodwin) go around the country to investigate allegedly haunted locations. They research the sites and interview witnesses before locking themselves in for the night, during which they aggressively search for and try to contact ghosts.

At the end of summer 2009, the team visited Bridgeport’s notorious Remington Arms, the former munitions factory — now abandoned — which was the scene of multiple unfortunate deaths. In addition to various lethal industrial accidents (workers falling into kettles of molten metal, ammunition inadvertently going off, etc.), there was a large explosion in 1942 that claimed the lives of seven workers. As such, many now claim the site is haunted: Shadowy figures have allegedly been seen at various spots on the property; others say they’ve heard disembodied voices and unexplained noises.

The good people at Travel Channel were nice enough to send Damned Connecticut an advance screener of this episode of “Ghost Adventures” where Zak and the boys spend the night locked down in Remington Arms.

The episode airs for the first time on Nov. 20 at 9 p.m., and obviously will be repeatedly repeated.

The description of the episode from Travel Channel:

The Remington Arms munitions factory in Bridgeport, Connecticut has been abandoned since 1986, but a dark history looms over the buildings. In a place that once was the largest supplier of munitions on Earth, mysterious explosions, electrocutions, and bodies turned to liquid in melting pots, have left the specter of death all around its confines. This investigation into the dank and decrepit Remington Arms Munitions features eyewitness accounts of fires, spirits, shadow people, and even sabotage.

Sounds like fun!

Image by Ray Bendici

Our Damned Experience: We watched the entire episode and can report that it lives up to standard “Ghost Adventures” fare. Not surprisingly, it follows the simple formula that the show has established:

• Provide a general overview of the site
• Interview various witnesses
• Scout the site during the daylight
• Lock in the three-man crew after dark with the cameras rolling
• Let the ghost adventures begin!

As you might expect, while talking about the history of the site, there are multiple shots of the dilapidated buildings that at one time comprised the bustling Remington Arms complex, illustrating just how far into decay it has fallen. In daylight under ideal summer conditions, it’s shown as the dangerous place any old munitions factory might be, with all sorts of broken windows, rotting floors and staircases, collapsing walls and abandoned machinery. In short, it’s not a place fit for four-legged vermin, let alone any place a rational human would want to visit, even if they were up on all their tetanus shots.

Oh, and as anyone who has dared go to the area of Bridgeport could tell you, the crew needs a police sweep of the site for their safety against the other types of vermin that occasionally prowl the vicinity.

They interview a few people associated with the site — the property manager and a former employee — as well as Mr. East Coast Paranormal Police himself, James Myers and our old friend (and first Damned Connecticut interviewee) Donald Carter, the author of Connecticut’s Seaside Ghosts.

The crew also takes time to trek up the road to Stratford to interview renowned ghost hunter John Zaffis, who is kind enough to show them the paranormal museum he has in his basement. Creepy, cool stuff!

Zak, Nick and Aaron find out that in addition to the dark history of Remington Arms itself, there is a cemetery across the street where a woman was alleged to have been buried alive. Extra bonus creepy!

Time comes for the investigation to begin, and the crew is locked down for the night. And in typical “Ghost Adventures” style, that’s when the real fun begins. Zak brashly challenges entities to bring it on, while Aaron and Nick take turns freaking out accordingly. With the green night-vision cameras running, they investigate the site from top to bottom throughout the night, as well as analyze some interesting footage from their stationary cameras.

Not to give too much away, but the crew sees and records a few seemingly unusual events and apparently experience a few odd moments, all of which will do nothing to dispel the reputation of Remington Arms as one of the most haunted places in Connecticut.

In short, if you like these kind of shows — and if you’re reading this, chances are that you do — and appreciate the local connection, then you should enjoy this episode of “Ghost Adventures.”

If You Watch It: As mentioned, this episode of “Ghost Adventures” is scheduled to be first broadcast on Nov. 20, 2009. After that, look for it in re-runs on Travel Channel.

The Damned Story: As you may already know, The Haunting in Connecticut was recently released on DVD and Blu-Ray. “Based on true events,” it stars Virginia Madsen, Kyle Gallner, Amanda Crew and Elias Koteas.

According to the film’s promotional site:

Based on a chilling true story, Lionsgate’s THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT charts one family’s terrifying, real-life encounter with the dark forces of the supernatural. When the Campbell family moves to upstate Connecticut, they soon learn that their charming Victorian home has a disturbing history: not only was the house a transformed funeral parlor where inconceivable acts occurred, but the owner’s clairvoyant son Jonah served as a demonic messenger, providing a gateway for spiritual entities to crossover.

Now, unspeakable terror awaits when Jonah, the boy who communicated with the dead, returns to unleash a new kind of horror on the innocent and unsuspecting family.

In addition to an unrated version of the film itself, the two-disc special edition DVD also features commentary tracks by the director, producers, writers and cast, deleted scenes and a few pretty cool extras, including:

• “The Fear is Real,” a two-part documentary about the events surrounding the haunting featuring interviews with the real-life mother from the film, Carmen Snedeker Reed, two of her sons (conspicuously not the one who the film and case revolves around) and two of her nieces who stayed at the house, as well as real-life demonologists Lorraine Warren and John Zaffis. A few neighbors, friends and other people involved with the case are also interviewed.
• “Two Dead Boys,” a behind-the-scenes featurette with the cast and crew looking at the making of the film. Kind of standard interview and inside stuff, including interviews with the director, producers and actors.
• “Memento Mori,” a fascinating look at the creepy history of post-mortem photography, which was quite popular around the turn of the 20th century. Families would regularly pose for photos with the corpses of departed parents, children, friends and other relatives.

Oh, also on the DVD is an on-screen shout out to Damned Connecticut. (We’re famous!!!) It’s in the second part of the documentary, “The Fear is Real” near the end when they are talking about how the story has drawn interest in the local community. (Steve will be happy to come to your house to sign autographs …)

Our Damned Experience: We recently had a Damned Connecticut viewing party for the DVD, and as you might expect, really enjoyed the entire package. The entire DVD is put together quite well, and offers plenty for those who are interested in this film as well as the story behind it.

“The Fear is Real” documentary, in particular, is worth watching, but as mentioned, not hearing from the person who the whole haunting revolves around sort of is a glaring omission — was he unable to participate, or unwilling? Also, author of In a Dark Place (the book commissioned by The Warrens and The Snedekers to tell the story), Ray Garton declined to be interviewed for the documentary, even though they used his comments expressed on Damned Connecticut to fuel the debate. It’s also interesting to note that there seems to have been a falling out between Carmen Snedeker Reed and The Warrens somewhere along the way. The current residents of the house also declined to be interviewed for the documentary, releasing a statement to the effect that they have had no unusual experiences and that they would appreciate it if everyone would respect their privacy.

Obviously, The Haunting in Connecticut has been quite popular on this site – and of course, we’ve tried to provide extra information about it. A few things to check out if you haven’t already:

• Our exclusive interview with Ray Garton, author of In A Dark Place, which is billed as the “true” story behind the motion picture The Haunting in Connecticut, and who has been very vocal in his skepticism about the Snedekers’ and Warrens’ claims.
• Our interview with Daniel Farrands, the producer of The Haunting in Connecticut, who talks about the film, the documentary and his career in Hollywood.
• Our interview with Nancy Boucher, the sister of Allen Snedeker, who contacted us to provide her side of the story.

If You Rent It: As we’ve said previously, the film itself is standard horror film fare, with all sorts of terror-inducing scares and starts, and lots of creepy effects. Obviously, the producers used “Based on a true story” as a launching point, and have taken quite a bit of liberties with the story to make a compelling Hollywood movie.

Make sure to get the two-disc special edition version if you are interested in viewing all the extras we’ve mentioned.

Overall, if you enjoy horror films, there’s no reason why you won’t like The Haunting in Connecticut. Tell us what you think!

Lionsgate Films

The Damned Story: As you may have heard, the film The Haunting in Connecticut is due in theaters on March 27, 2009. “Based on true events” (Hollywood-talk for “our version isn’t a faithful chronicle of actual events, but one that we’ve take dramatic liberties with to try and make scarier”), it stars Virginia Madsen, Kyle Gallner, Amanda Crew and Elias Koteas.

According to the movie’s promotional site:

Based on a chilling true story, Lionsgate’s THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT charts one family’s terrifying, real-life encounter with the dark forces of the supernatural. When the Campbell family moves to upstate Connecticut, they soon learn that their charming Victorian home has a disturbing history: not only was the house a transformed funeral parlor where inconceivable acts occurred, but the owner’s clairvoyant son Jonah served as a demonic messenger, providing a gateway for spiritual entities to crossover.

Now, unspeakable terror awaits when Jonah, the boy who communicated with the dead, returns to unleash a new kind of horror on the innocent and unsuspecting family.

So what “true story” is this movie based on?

Well, the undeniable factual part of the story is that in 1986, the Snedeker family bought a house in Southington, the basement of which had been used as a mortuary. From there, the “truth” gets a bit murky.

After the Snedekers moved in, two of their sons decided to make the basement their room — and that’s when the weirdness allegedly started. One of the the boys — whom the Snedekers said was being treated at Yale in New Haven for cancer — reported seeing the shadow of a man in the space that had been the mortuary as well as other apparitions in the room. Lights then began to go on and off by themselves, inanimate objects started to move around on their own, foul odors were encountered, unseen forces physically assaulted the family and eventually, the son became possessed by demonic spirits.

Not surprisingly, it was only a matter of time before demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren were called in to investigate the “supernatural” happenings. Being Ed and Lorraine Warren, they decided immediately the house did, in fact, have an evil presence and moved in for nine weeks to investigate. The otherworldly forces persisted until a priest was finally brought in to perform an exorcism, which apparently cleansed the boy and home. The family stayed there for two and a half years before moving out.

Lionsgate Films

As it turns out, some of the Snedekers’ claims have not held up well, the most critical of which was that their son was receiving treatment for cancer — it has been speculated that he may have actually been struggling with drug addiction, which would explain much of the “unexplained events” and stories of possessions. There are also some who think that the drugs he was taking for the cancer treatment may have caused the hallucinations. (Note: Since this post was originally published, a person claiming to be a family member has contacted Damned Connecticut to say that he did in fact have cancer.)

For what it’s worth, neighbors never reported observing or hearing of any unusual occurrences.

Most of those who have subsequently lived in the house and others involved have also gone on record saying that there’s absolutely nothing supernatural about the place; a few others have suggested that odd things have happened in the dwelling, but nothing anywhere near to the extent of the Snedekers’ assertions. (Note: Since this post was written, the current owners of the house have said that they think “all the stories are ludicrous.”)

A Haunting in Connecticut is a 2002 documentary based on these alleged events; it has been shown in various places, including the Discovery Channel. A book has also been written — In A Dark Place: The Story of a True Haunting by horror writer Ray Garton, which was created in conjunction with the Warrens and Snedekers. For the record, Garton has publicly distanced himself from this “non-fiction” book, suggesting that the Snedekers were dealing with “drug and alcohol issues” and that no one involved could “keep their stories straight.” (Note: Check out the Damned Connecticut interview with Ray Garton, who talks about the entire situation in detail.)

If you’re looking for dueling versions of this story, you can try this one from renowned spirit medium Chip Coffey and this more skeptical one from Associated Content.

Photo by Kate Geruntho Frank

Our Damned Experience: The film itself looks like standard horror film fare, with all sorts of terror-inducing scares and starts, and lots of creepy effects. We plan on seeing it theatrically as part of  “work” for this site — we’re willing to put forth that damned effort for you people!

And going the extra mile (or 20), we drove out to Southington in late February of 2009 to see the the real house where all the events are alleged to happen.

Not surprisingly, the house looks dramatically less threatening than the stories would lead you to believe.

The day we went by, it looked like any other house that you’re going to see in any suburban Connecticut neighborhood — well maintained, minivan in the driveway, basketball hoop out back, etc. Unless you tend to think completely normal is evil (which some of us do, by the way), it couldn’t be more unassuming.

If You Go: Out of respect for the privacy of the family who lives there now, we will not list the exact address here — but we’re sure you can find it fairly easily.

We will, however, say it is located on a main thoroughfare, so you’re always to welcome to drive past (if you haven’t already). Just keep in mind that it is a private residence, so you are NOT allowed to trespass or harass the people who currently live there, under any circumstances.