You might not think it to look at the Oscar-nominated actress, but Virginia Madsen is actually a big fan of scary movies. And there’s a reason why.
“I’m attracted to ghost hunters and Bigfoot and UFO footage; all that stuff just absolutely fascinates me,” admitted Madsen during a recent interview in Vancouver. “I’m just naturally attracted to it. With cellphones and iPhones and all of our new gadgets, I think pretty soon, you’re not going to be able to deny that it exists.”
Well, whether or not you believe in aliens or the Sasquatch or haunted houses, there’s no denying the Sideways star’s unequivocal dedication to trying to track down a good ghost story. Madsen insists her latest thriller, The Haunting in Connecticut (which opens in theatres this Friday), was the first truly spooky script she had read in 10 years.
“By page three or four, I was invested in the mother and son,” said Madsen, who is a mother to a teenaged son herself. “A lot of times, they don’t give (characters) a lot of time in a horror film (to develop) so I just loved the script.”
The script in question examines a series of horrific events that encounter a family struggling not only with their ailing child, but with an old Victorian home that unleashes a paranormal terror upon its new residents. Based on a real story that producer Andrew Trapani first discovered in 2003, The Haunting in Connecticut is only heightened by its powerful authenticity.
“That’s what attracted me to the project,” said co-star Amanda Crew (Sex Drive). “It’s one of those horror stories that I always like because, not only is it realistic, but you know that it’s actually happened.”
“The story becomes more frightening when you’re invested in the people,” added Madsen. “When you’re dealing with things that might be under your bed or might be in the mirror or maybe could be in your house, of course it plays on our deepest childhood fears so it’s really going to get you on a deeper level.”
