. ' '' Yet , Madsen admitted , her belief in ghosts is not very strong . `` I do have an attraction to paranormal investigation and all those kinds of shows but I 'm not sure if I really believe in ghosts , '' she said . `` The Haunting in Connecticut '' is based on the true story of Sara Campbell , a mother who moves her family into an old house in Connecticut in order to be closer to the hospital where her son , Matt -LRB- Kyle Gallner -RRB- , receives cancer treatment . The house was once a funeral home and , shortly after their move , the family begins witnessing strange , supernatural activities . `` Something very powerful and very real happened to this family . Whether or not you believe it was some sort of demon or , you know , they 're manifesting it -- whatever it is -- it changed their lives , '' Madsen said . Madsen , 47 , is probably best known for her Oscar-nominated turn in `` Sideways '' as Maya Randall , the restaurant waitress who gets involved in a romance with the prickly writer
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- In its opening weekend , `` The Haunting in Connecticut '' scared and thrilled millions of moviegoers across the country . In `` The Haunting in Connecticut , '' Virginia Madsen sees strange things happen in her old house . The film , which earned $ 23 million to finish No. 2 at the box office , emphasizes psychological horror over slasher film blood 'n' gore , which its audience apparently appreciated . But Virginia Madsen , who plays Sara Campbell in the film , confessed that , while filming , fear was not just reserved for the screen . `` We all stayed in this big , old hotel which was kind of like the one in ` The Shining , ' one of those turn-of-the - century big , old hotels , '' Madsen told CNN . `` I had a little chat with my room . I said , ` Just out of respect , if there are any entities around , I need to stay here , I have a lot of work to do , I have to sleep at night , so please leave me alone