"The Conjuring" - Dir. by James Wan
I had been waiting for this film for a long time. Why? Because I want to be scared. I want a horror movie to make the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Oh, and I'm tired of filmmakers looking for creative ways to cut people up. There ARE no new ways! Plus, that's not scary. Disturbing maybe, but not scary. I want a movie that makes adrenaline shoot through me. "The Conjuring" worked for me. Shit, just the poster I included above gave me fits. Is there anything creepier than a doll? "The Conjuring", at it's core, is basically a simple, haunted house spookfest, but good acting, great filmmaking techniques and a minimal use of CGI (thankfully!) make it a very effective horror film. Thankfully, James Wan, director of the original "Saw" and of the highly entertaining "Insidious" is in the directors chair for this film.
Similarly to "Insidious", "The Conjuring" has, as one of it's main antagonists, a creepy, old "ghost lady" who does some extremely unpleasant things, as shown in the very effective trailers that preceded the release of the film. She, and some other equally malevolent spirits, indulge in ghostly clapping, hanging from trees, appearing in mirrors, etc. These evil entities appear determined to destroy the Perron family, which has recently moved into an old farmhouse. Carolyn and Roger Perron (portrayed very effectively by Lili Taylor and Ron Livingston), do their best to understand what is happening and try to protect their five children, but it becomes clear that they are dealing with forces they simply don't understand. The Perron's reach out to real-life paranormal investigators Lorraine and Ed Warren (again, expertly acted by Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson) in the hopes that they can make sense of what's going on and, ultimately, chase the spirits away.
What transpires is a battle between the "normal" world and the paranormal, with the fate of a frightened couple and their children hanging in the balance. Along the way, we see the toll that these investigations take on the Warrens, especially Lorraine, and how they handle it in the context of their relationship. All of this builds to a jarring climax, and we're treated to all sorts of unpleasantness to get there.
Similarly to "Insidious", "The Conjuring" has, as one of it's main antagonists, a creepy, old "ghost lady" who does some extremely unpleasant things, as shown in the very effective trailers that preceded the release of the film. She, and some other equally malevolent spirits, indulge in ghostly clapping, hanging from trees, appearing in mirrors, etc. These evil entities appear determined to destroy the Perron family, which has recently moved into an old farmhouse. Carolyn and Roger Perron (portrayed very effectively by Lili Taylor and Ron Livingston), do their best to understand what is happening and try to protect their five children, but it becomes clear that they are dealing with forces they simply don't understand. The Perron's reach out to real-life paranormal investigators Lorraine and Ed Warren (again, expertly acted by Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson) in the hopes that they can make sense of what's going on and, ultimately, chase the spirits away.
What transpires is a battle between the "normal" world and the paranormal, with the fate of a frightened couple and their children hanging in the balance. Along the way, we see the toll that these investigations take on the Warrens, especially Lorraine, and how they handle it in the context of their relationship. All of this builds to a jarring climax, and we're treated to all sorts of unpleasantness to get there.
I have been waiting for a horror film like this for a long time. In the last few years, it seems like horror directors seemed intent on trying to "out-gross" one another. Now, don't get me wrong. I LOVE a good gore flick, but, for the most part, they are not scary. They can be sickening and disturbing, which are very good qualities by the way, but that's different than being scary.
For this Horror Nerd, "The Conjuring" had some truly creepy haunted house moments. Things that literally made the hair on the back of my neck, and on my arms, stand up. The great thing is, none of it ever comes across as silly, or over-the-top, which is a problem that plagues far too many horror films today. All of the actors play it straight. There are no overblown reactions, and there's one sequence where one of the daughters is reacting to something that none of us can see, and it truly made me sink into my seat. There's also an amazing jump scare involving a bed sheet that made me look at laundry in a whole new way, a way that I am NOT particularly happy about by the way. James Wan showed a lot of restraint in his direction, and I am very thankful for this.
Again, I loved the fact that the film relies very heavily on tried and true filmmaking techniques, and in-camera effects. It does not rely on blood, or a ton of jump scares to get the point across. Yes, there are one or two "big time" scare moments, but Wan relies more heavily on building a sense of horror and dread, rather than the typical "musical crescendo" type of jolts.
For this Horror Nerd, "The Conjuring" had some truly creepy haunted house moments. Things that literally made the hair on the back of my neck, and on my arms, stand up. The great thing is, none of it ever comes across as silly, or over-the-top, which is a problem that plagues far too many horror films today. All of the actors play it straight. There are no overblown reactions, and there's one sequence where one of the daughters is reacting to something that none of us can see, and it truly made me sink into my seat. There's also an amazing jump scare involving a bed sheet that made me look at laundry in a whole new way, a way that I am NOT particularly happy about by the way. James Wan showed a lot of restraint in his direction, and I am very thankful for this.
Again, I loved the fact that the film relies very heavily on tried and true filmmaking techniques, and in-camera effects. It does not rely on blood, or a ton of jump scares to get the point across. Yes, there are one or two "big time" scare moments, but Wan relies more heavily on building a sense of horror and dread, rather than the typical "musical crescendo" type of jolts.
Another thing that really helped is the sympathetic performances from the cast. All to often, horror films are populated with characters that we really don't like, and therefore do not feel sorry for when bad things start to happen. In some films, I find myself actively rooting for these people to come to harm. Not so in "The Conjuring". I truly felt bad that these things were happening to these people. The child actors are particularly effective. There were no "hammy" performances from any of these kids, which was particularly refreshing.
Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga were amazing as Ed and Lorraine Warren. I really got a feel for the relationship between the two characters, and the foundation upon which their relationship is built, and why they do what they do.
I had a chance to meet the real Lorraine and Ed Warren years ago, and they were warm, genuine, sincere people, who seemed to really believe in that they were doing. For those of you who don't know, the Warrens were (Ed passed away in 2006) two of the pre-eminent paranormal investigators in this country, and they were involved with the Amityville case, the case that "The Haunting in Connecticut" was based on, and many other high profile cases. I spent a good deal of time speaking with them, and I left wondering if they truly believed that they were fighting supernatural forces, or if they just found a way to make a living. Which leads me to.........
In the interest of full disclosure, I feel the need to state that I am a die-hard skeptic. I do not believe in ghosts, demons, devils, hauntings, possessions or anything else of a supernatural nature. I am a scientist at heart, and if it cannot be examined with the scientific method, I am curious, but not convinced. I do have an open mind, and I know that there are many things that we cannot explain today, but that doesn't mean that there must be a supernatural explanation. It simply means that we haven't explained it yet. In the middle ages, people thought diseases were caused by demons living in your stomach, now we know that disease is caused by bacteria and viruses. I personally do not feel the need to "fill in the gaps" with supernatural explanations.
Why do I bring this up? Simple. Despite all of this, "The Conjuring" still scared me. It gave me chills and really creeped me out. ESPECIALLY THAT GODDAMNED DOLL!! SERIOUSLY, FUCK THAT DOLL!!! Even though the film is "based on true events", I do not believe that the Perron's were haunted. Yet, the movie did have the desired effect on me, which was to give me some genuinely creepy moments and to make me jump out of my seat a few times.
Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga were amazing as Ed and Lorraine Warren. I really got a feel for the relationship between the two characters, and the foundation upon which their relationship is built, and why they do what they do.
I had a chance to meet the real Lorraine and Ed Warren years ago, and they were warm, genuine, sincere people, who seemed to really believe in that they were doing. For those of you who don't know, the Warrens were (Ed passed away in 2006) two of the pre-eminent paranormal investigators in this country, and they were involved with the Amityville case, the case that "The Haunting in Connecticut" was based on, and many other high profile cases. I spent a good deal of time speaking with them, and I left wondering if they truly believed that they were fighting supernatural forces, or if they just found a way to make a living. Which leads me to.........
In the interest of full disclosure, I feel the need to state that I am a die-hard skeptic. I do not believe in ghosts, demons, devils, hauntings, possessions or anything else of a supernatural nature. I am a scientist at heart, and if it cannot be examined with the scientific method, I am curious, but not convinced. I do have an open mind, and I know that there are many things that we cannot explain today, but that doesn't mean that there must be a supernatural explanation. It simply means that we haven't explained it yet. In the middle ages, people thought diseases were caused by demons living in your stomach, now we know that disease is caused by bacteria and viruses. I personally do not feel the need to "fill in the gaps" with supernatural explanations.
Why do I bring this up? Simple. Despite all of this, "The Conjuring" still scared me. It gave me chills and really creeped me out. ESPECIALLY THAT GODDAMNED DOLL!! SERIOUSLY, FUCK THAT DOLL!!! Even though the film is "based on true events", I do not believe that the Perron's were haunted. Yet, the movie did have the desired effect on me, which was to give me some genuinely creepy moments and to make me jump out of my seat a few times.
I know that one of the main criticisms of "The Conjuring" is that they "recycle" a lot of horror film staple elements. Well, maybe they do. After 100+ years of cinema, it's hard not to. However, The Horror Nerd believe that there's nothing wrong with recycling, as long as the recycled elements are put to good, effective use, which they are.
I highly recommend this film. Again, like I say in almost every film I review, put away any preconceived notions you might have, and don't sit in your seat with the intention of nitpicking. If you don't like it, that's fine, but don't start looking for the negative. Instead, rejoice in the positive, and be glad that the film is doing to well with both the critics and at the box office. Maybe we can start to get away from endless sequels, prequels and remakes.
I highly recommend this film. Again, like I say in almost every film I review, put away any preconceived notions you might have, and don't sit in your seat with the intention of nitpicking. If you don't like it, that's fine, but don't start looking for the negative. Instead, rejoice in the positive, and be glad that the film is doing to well with both the critics and at the box office. Maybe we can start to get away from endless sequels, prequels and remakes.