THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT: THE REAL STORY

THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT: EXPLORING THE EERIE EVENTS THAT INSPIRED A CULT HORROR FILM

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The teenager’s footsteps echoed faintly as he walked down the dark, narrow hallway, the air heavy with a musty scent. His heart pounded in his chest, every creak of the floorboards sending a chill down his spine. At the end of the hall, he hesitated before pushing open the creaking door of the long-abandoned embalming room. The stale air hit him immediately, thick with the weight of forgotten years. In the dim light, the room was eerie—dust-covered tools lay scattered on rusting trays, and an old, dented gurney stood in the centre like a ghost of its former use. Shadows stretched across the floor, and the silence felt oppressive, Philip felt as though the room itself was watching him.

BACKGROUND

The Snedeker family's haunting is one of the more notorious cases in paranormal history. In 1986, Carmen and Al Snedeker, along with their three sons and one niece, rented a house in Southington, Connecticut. The family moved into the house to be closer to the UConn hospital where their oldest son, 14 year old Philip, was being treated for Hodgkin's lymphoma. It was a spacious two apartment house with the Snedeker's on the lower floor, they believed it would be ideal for their family during this difficult time. The other two sons were Bradley and A.J and their niece was called Tammy.

The house was previously known as the Hallahan Funeral Home. It had been operating as a funeral home for many years before being converted into a rental property. The Hallahan family had run the business, and for a long time, the home served as a place where bodies were prepared for burial, wakes were held, and the deceased were stored temporarily.

When the Snedekers moved in, they were not initially aware of its mortuary past. Carmen stated that she had no idea the home had once been a funeral parlour.

During the home tour, Carmen mentioned that she couldn't access the basement as the entrance had been obstructed by renovation materials. However, after moving in to the property and gaining access to the basement the house’s dark history came to light, they found mortuary equipment, a gurney, blood drains, coffin handles, and embalming tools left behind from its previous purpose. These items couldn't be removed , as they were owned by the owner of the house.

The house being a funeral home meant that countless dead bodies passed through it, and the family believed that this was a reason for the strong paranormal presence. They reported seeing apparitions of former morticians and deceased individuals who had been prepared for burial in the house.

Philip and Bradley, the two oldest of the Snedeker siblings, decided to make the basement their bedroom since it was significantly larger than any of the other bedrooms in the house. The basement had previously housed the casket and embalming rooms. They chose the casket room. This decision to sleep in the basement would unfortunately expose the boys to the heart of some of the most infamous supernatural occurrences ever recorded.

INITIAL EXPERIENCES

At first, strange occurrences seemed relatively benign but unsettling. The Snedekers claimed they began to experience:

Cold spots

Sudden and inexplicable cold areas in various rooms. One of the most common paranormal explanations for this, is that spirits or entities require energy to manifest themselves. The theory goes that when a spirit is present, it draws energy from the environment, leading to a noticeable drop in temperature. This is why cold spots are believed to signify an entity attempting to manifest or interact with the physical world.

Unexplained odours

There were frequent strange smells, described as rotting flesh or decaying matter. Foul odours, particularly the smell of rotting flesh, sulphur, or decay, are frequently linked to malevolent or demonic entities. In many reported cases, these smells are seen as a warning of the presence of a dark or evil spirit. The idea is that these negative entities exude a foul scent, often signalling their intention to harm or cause fear.

Disturbing visions

Philip frequently described seeing shadowy, malevolent figures. These figures were often men dressed in formal, old-fashioned funeral attire, which ties into the house's past as a funeral home. Some reports state that these entities had pale faces and seemed to be observing or interacting with the family, but in a menacing, intrusive way.

One specific vision involved a man with a top hat who would stand in dark corners or near the foot of Philip’s bed. This figure seemed to have a threatening presence, and Philip believed he was being watched or monitored by this spirit.

Some of Philip’s most disturbing visions involved seeing corpses in various states of mutilation or decay. He reported that these visions were vivid, showing graphic scenes of bodies being desecrated, which added to his fear and confusion. This led to a growing sense that the house's past, particularly involving the handling of the dead, was deeply tainted or violent.

Escalation of the Haunting

Over time the activity reportedly escalated, becoming more aggressive. Family members claimed to have been physically assaulted by unseen forces. The younger children reported being slapped, pushed, or scratched.

Carmen often reported feeling as though she was being touched or grabbed by unseen forces. At times, these sensations were subtle, like light taps or brushes, but they escalated into more aggressive encounters where she felt physically restrained or pushed.

She stated that she and her niece experienced sexual assaults by invisible entities. This aspect of the case is one of the most controversial claims. According to her, this entity would physically molest her, which left her feeling terrified and violated.

Their niece Tammy apparently had an experience in the embalming room of the basement, experiencing a ghostly mortician, calling her name, it caused her to run terrified to Allen and Carmen who would check the room, but to no avail, it was empty.

Carmen frequently talked about the emotional weight of living in the house. She described the atmosphere as oppressive and filled with dread, especially in certain parts of the house like the basement and her bedroom. This constant feeling of unease eventually wore her down emotionally, contributing to periods of anxiety and depression.

Philip's Behaviour

Not only did the haunting involve visual occurrences, but Philip's visions also appeared to be linked to changes in his behaviour. His demeanour shifted towards violence and paranoia, leading to outbursts towards his family or periods of isolation. The Snedekers suspected that the house was attempting to control or influence Philip, pushing him further into a dark mental state.

As time passed, the disturbing visions took a toll on Philip's mental well-being. He started creating grim and eerie artwork, focusing on themes of death, violence, and the supernatural. Concerns grew within his family about his psychological state, as they believed that the house and its entities were impacting his actions.

In a particularly troubling incident, Philip allegedly tried to harm his family members, leading to his hospitalisation and schizophrenia diagnosis. Despite this, his family contended that his visions were a result of the supernatural forces in the house rather than solely mental illness.

ASSISTANCE FROM THE WARRENS

At their wit's end, the Snedekers reached out to Ed and Lorraine Warren, well-known paranormal investigators. The Warrens visited the house and claimed to have identified multiple spirits, including demonic entities.

According to the Warrens and the Snedeker family, the morticians who worked at the funeral home engaged in acts of necrophilia with the corpses, which they believed left an imprint of negative energy in the house. This was never proven, and no official records confirm these claims, but the Warrens suggested that this energy attracted malevolent spirits and led to the violent haunting's experienced by the family.

The Warrens believed that these entities were not only haunting the house but actively tormenting the family, with a focus on the children and Carmen herself.

They brought in a priest to perform an exorcism on the house, and according to the Warrens and the family, the haunting eventually ceased following these efforts.

Even after the family moved out of the house and the haunting was supposedly “resolved” by the exorcism, Philip reportedly continued to struggle with psychological trauma. His family always believed that the experiences in the house were real and that they had lasting consequences on his well-being.

MOVIE ADAPTION

The Haunting In Connecticut

The film centres on the Campbell family, who relocates to a Victorian house in Connecticut near the hospital treating their son, Matt, for cancer. Upon settling in, they uncover the house's grim past as a former funeral home. Matt begins to witness frightening apparitions and encounters malevolent spirits linked to the house's previous mortician, who engaged in necromancy and sinister rituals with the deceased.

As the paranormal activity intensifies, Matt's behaviour becomes increasingly erratic, leading the family into a battle against the malevolent forces within the home. They gradually unveil the house's secrets and attempt to rid it of the spirits, but the haunting profoundly affects the family, particularly Matt, who finds himself trapped between the realms of the living and the dead.

The movie combines psychological terror with supernatural elements, drawing inspiration from the real-life experiences of the Snedeker family while taking creative liberties to enhance the intensity and drama for cinematic impact.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE MOVIE AND REAL CASE

1. Names of the Characters

Film: The family is called the "Campbells."

Real Story: The family involved was the Snedekers.

2. Matt's Cancer vs. Philip's Condition

Film: Matt Campbell is a teenager being treated for cancer, and his condition is a significant plot point, with the implication that the haunting exacerbates his illness. The supernatural entities seem to focus on Matt.

Real Story: In the true story, Philip Snedeker had Hodgkin's lymphoma, but there’s no indication that the haunting directly worsened his illness. Instead, Philip experienced violent behavioural changes, leading to a diagnosis of schizophrenia, which the family believed was influenced by the house's negative energy.

3. Funeral Home's Dark Practices

Film: The funeral home’s mortician, Aickman, is involved in necromancy and sinister rituals, including seances and using the bodies of the deceased to communicate with the dead, making the haunting more dramatic and supernatural.

Real Story: While the Snedekers claimed the house was previously a funeral home, there is no evidence of necromancy or rituals. The morticians were never proven to have engaged in any illegal or dark practices like those shown in the film. The Warrens did claim that the morticians had engaged in necrophilia, which they believed attracted dark spirits, but this aspect has been widely disputed.

4. Exaggerated Supernatural Elements

Film: The movie features very intense supernatural phenomena, including:

Spectacular, visually terrifying apparitions.

Matt being physically dragged and attacked by spirits.

Ectoplasm leaking from walls, which is linked to the mortician's rituals.

Real Story: The Snedekers did report disturbing phenomena like cold spots, strange odours, and shadow figures, but nothing as visually or physically extreme as depicted in the film. There were claims of physical assaults by invisible entities, but these were not as elaborately violent as shown in the movie.

5. The Role of the Exorcism

Film: The final act of the movie involves a massive, dramatic showdown with the spirits, where Matt confronts the supernatural forces, and the house is consumed by fire during an exorcism-like cleansing.

Real Story: The real-life case was reportedly resolved after an exorcism performed by the Warrens, but there was no dramatic destruction of the house or a final violent confrontation. The family remained in the house for a while after the exorcism, claiming that the activity had calmed down.

6. Matt’s Visions vs. Philip’s Behaviour

Film: Matt has disturbing, psychic-like visions of the spirits and events that took place in the funeral home. His connection to the supernatural is tied to his illness and proximity to death.

Real Story: Philip did not have visions in the way portrayed in the film. Instead, his behaviour became increasingly erratic, violent, and withdrawn. His family believed the house influenced his mental state, but there were no psychic-like premonitions or detailed visions of the house’s past.

7. Psychological and Emotional Tone

Film: The movie focuses heavily on the psychological effects of the haunting on Matt, linking his cancer to his experiences with the supernatural, creating a stronger emotional core to his struggle.

Real Story: While the real-life Snedeker family did report feeling emotional and psychological distress from the haunting, the connection to Philip's illness was not as directly emphasised as it is in the film. His behavioural changes were attributed more to mental health issues than paranormal influences.

8. Necromancer and Séance Themes

Film: A key plot point in the movie revolves around the mortician using a boy with psychic abilities to contact the dead during séances, which brings a more dramatic and sinister element to the plot.

Real Story: There’s no evidence or claim that psychic séances or a necromancer was involved in the actual Snedeker case. This was added to the film to heighten the horror and supernatural aspect of the story.

9. End of the Story

Film: The movie ends with the house being cleansed after a major supernatural confrontation, with a sense of finality to the haunting.

Real Story: After the exorcism by Ed and Lorraine Warren, the Snedeker family continued to live in the house for some time and reported no further incidents. There was no destructive, fiery conclusion or climactic exorcism like in the movie.

SCEPTICISM AND CONTROVERSY

As with many paranormal cases, the Snedeker haunting has attracted significant scepticism. Several people, including sceptics and some investigators, have questioned the legitimacy of the claims. Key points of contention include:

Inconsistent Accounts

Over time, members of the Snedeker family have given differing versions of events, which has cast doubt on the story.

Sceptics' Investigations

Investigators like Joe Nickell have researched the history of the house and the Snedeker family. Some claim that there is no verifiable evidence that the funeral home staff engaged in any of the alleged activities or that supernatural phenomena occurred. Additionally, some neighbours reportedly never observed anything unusual.

Ray Garton’s Involvement

Ray Garton, the author of In a Dark Place (a book based on the Snedeker haunting), later revealed that he struggled to piece together a coherent narrative because family members' stories often contradicted each other. He has stated that Ed Warren encouraged him to fill in gaps to create a more compelling story, which has further fuelled scepticism.

AFTERMATH

Following the Warrens' intervention and the exorcism, the Snedeker family reportedly continued to live in the house for some time without further incidents. The case became one of the Warrens' most famous investigations.

Philip Snedeker unfortunately passed away from his long running battle with cancer on the 9th of January 2012 at the age of 38.

In the years since the events, the Snedeker family has remained somewhat private about the ordeal, though Carmen has occasionally spoken about it, reiterating her belief in the haunting. However, the controversy surrounding the case continues, with some considering it an authentic supernatural experience and others viewing it as a fabricated or exaggerated story.

SCPUK ANALYSIS

At South Coast Paranormal UK, we are of the opinion that the haunting in question may have stemmed from the family trauma of Philip's cancer battle. The house's history as a funeral home, Philip's mental instability, and his exposure to the remnants of an old embalming room with leftover tools and equipment likely exacerbated his schizophrenia, especially as he grappled with his own mortality.

The false urban legends about the Hallahan Funeral Home with its apparent sordid past involving claims of the necromancy of an evil and disturbed mortician would have also heightened the already uncomfortable atmosphere of the house and been another catalyst in Philips slow mental decline.

Carmen, as a stressed and frustrated mother, found herself swept up in the hysteria caused by Philip's behaviour. This, along with Philip and Carmen's influence, led the rest of the family to also experience the hysteria. Similar to past cases featured on our website, the involvement of Ed and Lorraine Warren often introduces a dramatic element to the situation. This theatricality transforms a family seeking answers into a mainstream haunting case, despite limited evidence, thereby boosting the media attention surrounding the Warrens.

Ray Garton's admission that Ed Warren encouraged him to embellish parts of the story for his book on the haunting further suggests a potential misidentification of the haunting. The Snedekers, Al and Carmen, found themselves in a heart breaking situation where their child's cancer battle likely served as the origin of this haunting.