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A ministry of the ChildCare Action Project: Christian Analysis of American Culture (CAP Ministry) A 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Christian Ministry. www.capalert.com/ Entertainment Media Analysis Report A service to His little ones through you in His name by His Word MAR29027  (2009), PG-13 [Hardcore PG-3*] (1hr 37min) The #1 Christian entertainment media analysis service on the Internet. We give you OBJECTIVE tools NO ONE ELSE CAN to help YOU make an informed decision for yourself whether a film is fit for your family. Over 1200 analyses for parents, grandparents, pastors, youth leaders and more. |
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(While the Scriptural references are certainly not subjective, my commentary may be and sometimes is somewhat subjective.)
 Cast/Crew Details Courtesy Internet Movie Database Production (US): Gold Circle Films, Integrated Films & Management Distribution (US): Lionsgate Director(s): Peter Cornwell Producer(s): Paul Brooks, Daniel Farrands, Brad Kessell, Phyllis Laing, Jeff Levine, Scott Niemeyer, Wendy Rhoads, Jonathan Shore, Dylan Tarason, Andrew Trapani, Norm Waitt, Steve Whitney Written by: Adam Simon, Tim Metcalfe Cinematography/Camera: Adam Swica Music: Robert J. Kral Film Editing: Tom Elkins Casting: Eyde Belasco Production Design: Alicia Keywan Art Direction: Edward Bonutto Viewed on Lionsgate Home Entertainment DVD  This analysis is sponsored by the generosity of E&HP. I was quite surprised when all the number crunching was done that this film did not earn a hardcore R equivalence. But that is another testimony to the objectivity of the CAP analysis model. The CAP model is not vulnerable to the subjectivity of the one doing the analysis. In accordance with the scoring ranges earned by films in the comparative baseline database of films The Haunting in Connecticut is actually G-equivalent in the Murder/Suicide (M) and PG-equivalent in Impudence/Hate (I), Sexual Immorality (S) and Drugs/Alcohol (D) investigation areas. But it is truly hardcore R-equivalent in the Wanton Violence/Crime (W) and in Offense to God (O) investigation areas as shown by the zero out of 100 score in each of those investigation areas. The final score of 56 places the magnitude of influence of this film only two points above the scoring range earned by R-rated films (54 and below out of 100). Even the Influence Density (ID) of 2.64 supports the "R-ness" of the film. R-rated films in the comparative baseline database earned ID figures of 0.78 to 2.04. That this film is revealed to be R-equivalent in one or more of the six investigation areas is one of the key features of the CAP analysis model. The prudent user realizes that if any one of the investigation areas earns an area score within the scoring range earned by R-rated films in the comparative baseline database (54 and below out of 100) then the entire film should be considered R-equivalent since one cannot view the film without being exposed to the part(s) of R-equivalent content. Further, some parents might feel that gratuitous violence is tolerable but any use of God's name in vain or any nudity and crude, lewd content are unacceptable. The detailed breakdown of the content by the six investigation areas plus the listings in the Findings/Scoring section gives the user every opportunity to avoid films with any content s/he feels is unacceptable. In addition, if a parent has watched a film s/he finds tolerable for his/her family and the CAP analysis of it revealed the content to earn a final score of, say, 94 with one investigation area score of 69, then that parent may rest assured the content of any other film earning the same or close to the same scoring distribution will be morally equivalent. The great and unique features of the CAP analysis model go on even further. If you wish to know more about how to use the CAP analysis model, please click on the CAP Thermometers for this film to read about the techniques to help you be in a better position to make an informed moral decision on your own whether the content of a film is fit. Now tell me, what other entertainment "review" service can give you that level of usable, informative comparative information about the content of a film? And how many others require the intense attention to detail afforded by 10 to 12 hours per report, built by 80 prescribed investigation standards and using more than 30 mathematical operations per report? Better yet tell me how many other services provide these features and are built on God's Word? The answer is none to all questions above. That is why the CAP Movie Ministry is the #1 Christian media analysis service on the planet. The CAP Movie Ministry is #1 if only because there are none others like it. Many have tried to duplicate our services but none have come close to providing the objectivity and consistency we provide let alone the numerous additional features. And yes, we came long before Screen-It and other so-called family review services which are entirely subjective and opinion-based, inherently lacking in consistency. Indeed, if I had kept historical records focused on revealing theft of copyrighted intellectual property rights I could prove that one of them has plagiarized the CAP Movie Ministry analysis model, building on our service as we published it. Fortunately, our investigation standards and the equations have been kept secret all this time so no one can fully duplicate our service no matter how much they "look like us." In June 1987 the Campbells discover their oldest child Matt (Kyle Gallner) is dying of cancer. His mother Sara (Virginia Madsen), father Peter (Martin Donovan), younger brother Billy (Ty Wood) and cousins little Mary (Sophi Knight) and teen Wendy (Amanda Crew), a "built-in baby sitter", decide to move to Connecticut to be close to the only hospital that can effectively treat Matt's cancer. Sara scouts ahead for a house to rent and finds that one in particular is a great deal. It is spacious and affordable and is close to the hospital. Being suspicious of such a great deal, Sara asks the renter, Mr. Sinclair (John B. Lowe) why, what's the catch? Sinclair, a nice guy willing to go out of his way to help, will only tell her the house "has a history." Sara is the glue for the family. She and Peter also have a history - his history of alcoholic abuse. Peter seems to have licked his problem ... until pressures weakened him. He has to stay on the job weekdays, hours away and can be with his family only on weekends and the bills are financially crushing due to relocating his family to be near Matt. All this on top of the fact that his son is dying. It isn't long before the family discovers the history of the house. Matt, though he avoids saying anything at the first and even lies about it, starts to see and hear things. Bumps in the night. Moaning. Faint screams. Mat chose the basement of the house with a history as his bedroom. It is private so no one will hear his pain. And it is cool. But off his basement bedroom is another room with a locked door that neither he nor his dad could open ... for now. But after repeated attempts -- and permission by the spooks -- the door is opened and the family discovers the house used to be a funeral home. The room off of Matt's bed area was the embalming room with all sorts of flesh-carving tools and elevated table trays and more. The family also discovers that a previous owner, Ramsey Aikman (John Bluethner) who was also a mortician in the 19th century collected 100 bodies from graves in the area. Grave robber Aikman experimented with the bodies. He discovered, according to the story, that using dead bodies amplified powers to communicate with the dead. Aikman's chief medium in communicating with the dead was young preteen (before death), Jonah (Erik J. Berg). It seems Jonah was ethereally connected with Matt and tried to communicate with Matt to warn him of the impending doom awaiting the Campbells. Matt continues to suffer his nearness to death. This, according to the "based on a true story" story, is why Matt is to receptive to the efforts of the dead to communicate with the living. Those who are close to death are more likely to have special sensitivity with the dead which is why Matt was getting all the signals from the dead. This necro-sensitivity is true also for Reverend Popescu (Elias Koteas) who is also near death, also due to cancer. In the shadows of The Exorcist the reverend did his best to chase out the 100 spirits that haunt the house in Connecticut and terrorize the Campbell family. Wanton Violence/Crime (W) - Zero out of 100 There are a great many instances of demonstrations of violence of varying intensity throughout most of the 97 minutes of this film. Examples include images of gore and death, the carving of text into cadavers, images of evil being vomited from a young boy's mouth, human eyelids being incised from bodies, graphic flash images of abusing corpses, smoldering bodies and dozens of bodies falling out from inside the walls of a burning house. Many of these scenes are presented in the explosive startle manner. [Prov. 16:29] Impudence/Hate (I) - 76 out of 100 Most atypical of PG-13 films is there was but a singe use of profanity in the entire 97 minutes of the film. Nevertheless, once is once too often. [Col. 3:8] In addition to the single use of profanity the lies, the brutalization of a son by the father, the adult tantrum and the planning of sacrificial suicide led to the loss of nearly one quarter of the starting 100 pints in this investigation area. Lying. By His Word those of us who are not forgiven of our lying will spend our eternity in the lake of eternal fire. God does not like lying. Not even little white lies for when can you say a lie is not a lie? [Rev. 21:8] Sexual Immorality (S) - 76 out of 100 The sexually immoral content is limited to the "lesser" matters which rely on suggestion and implication which can sometimes be more expressive than display. The "lesser" matters of sexually immoral content include exposure of below-navel skin (threatening exposure of that which follows), a very short dress with gamming (intentional display of upper legs and higher) and multiple views of a teen girl nude in a shower though no gender-specifics are clearly seen. Such displays and behavior in and as entertainment are clearly gratuitous and are clearly intended to add a little sex spice to the story. Nothing else. The entire story would not have lost any power if all of them were left out. The scene of the shower curtain attacking Amanda Crew could very easily have been some other device to achieve the scare. It is not God's wish for us to challenge sexual humility and modesty in any way. All that has happened that has made such displays and behaviors acceptable -- the sexual revolution -- is due to man. [1Cor. 12:23 - 24, 1 Thess. 4:1 - 5] Drugs/Alcohol (D) - 83 out of 100 Only one instance of drinking and one instance of violent drunkenness were noted. While it is not a sin to drink, it is sinful to get drunk OR to influence to abuse alcohol. [Eph. 5:18] Offense to God (O) - Zero out of 100 This film is saturated with matters of unholiness and evil. So much so that to even summarize them would take up too much space here. I ask that you refer to the listing in the Findings/Scoring section above, the heart of the CAP analysis model. Please remember that God has warned us in so many ways to keep evil out of our lives and minds: of such as that which is communicated by this film. Just one of them is 1 Cor. 15:33. Remember, a negative influence does not have to be real to influence negatively. [Deut. 18:10 - 12] Murder/Suicide (M) - 100 out of 100 No murders or successful suicides were noted. SCRIPTURAL APPLICATION(S) If needed to focus or fortify, applicable text is underlined or bracketed [ ] or bold. If you wish to have full context available, the Blue Letter Bible is a convenient source. If you use the Blue Letter Bible, a new window will open. Close it to return here or use "Window" in your browser's menu bar to alternate between the CAP page and the Blue Letter Bible page. CHAPTER/VERSE ***Selected Scriptures of Armour against the influence of the entertainment industry*** As always, it is best to refer to the Findings/Scoring section -- the heart of the CAP analysis model -- for the most complete assessment possible of this movie. |
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 Wanton Violence/Crime (W) - Zero out of 100 Impudence/Hate (I) - 76 out of 100 Sexual Immorality (S) - 76 out of 100 Drugs/Alcohol (D) - 83 out of 100 Offense to God (O) - Zero out of 100 Murder/Suicide (M) - 100 out of 100 |
| There are some in the entertainment industry who maintain that 1) violent programming is harmless because no studies exist that prove a connection between violent entertainment and aggressive behavior in children, and 2) young people know that television, movies, and video games are simply fantasy. Unfortunately, they are wrong on both accounts." And "Viewing violence may lead to real life violence." I applaud these associations for fortifying 1 Cor. 15:33. Read the rest of the story. From our years of study, I contend that other aberrant behaviors, attitudes, and expressions can be inserted in place of "violence" in that statement. Our Director - Child Psychology Support, a licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist concurs. For example, "Viewing arrogance against fair authority may lead to your kids defying you in real life." Or "Viewing sex may lead to sex in real life." Likewise and especially with impudence, hate and foul language. I further contend that any positive behavior can be inserted in place of "violence" with the same chance or likelihood of being a behavior template for the observer; of being incorporated into the behavior mechanics and/or coping skills of the observer. In choosing your entertainment, please consider carefully the "rest of the story" and our findings. |
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