Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters! Not the Perron family, they have a demon infestation (ghosts are apparently a different kind of annoyance). The Conjuring is the latest haunting (with a dash of possession) film that has scared the pants off of a whole lot of people (huge opening weekend, almost 140 million domestic total).
It seems like most of these movies are based on “true events” which is always a good hook to have in promotion. This one is from the files of Ed and Lorraine Warren who are authorities on contact from the other side. Through the late 60’s and into the 70’s they made dozens of trips to investigate paranormal activity (even a full blown possession before this case apparently). The Warren’s are contacted by the Perron family who have just moved into a farm house and there is some really shady stuff going on. As soon as the Warren’s enter the home, they know that this isn’t a hoax or the family hearing things that can be explained away. There is a evil presence that has attached itself to the Perron’s and won’t let go of them easily.
It’s an effective horror movie. The easiest comparison is to the Paranormal Activity franchise, but this isn’t a found footage movie. This follows the more tried and true cinema take and evens mimics the 70’s style film aesthetic to match the time period of the movie. The Conjuring relies on a lot of jump scares/orchestra hits, but there is a heavy sense of foreboding and dread as soon as the boarded up basement is found in the house. The cast is great, the story of the house is a neat one and the haunting set pieces work up well. Misdirection, stuff in the shadows, physical manifestations, right up to ‘drag em around by the hair’ and demonic possession.
Director James Wan has made his bones in the horror genre (Saw, Insidious) and I like his work here. Interesting shots and production design with solid FX work. He knows how to set a scene and follow through. But there’s so much competition in this genre now that they all step on each others toes. The ‘hair dragging’ bit has been done to death, it’s hard to show something new. While I did like the movie, you can’t ignore how it checks every box down the haunted house list which makes it feel redundant. Speaking of showing, The Conjuring avoids almost any gore. Some scratches, bruises, a bit of ‘evil vomit’ and a bite wound are the extent of it.
The end was a real cop out too. It seemed too easy and simple. The movie is a huge build up until the last 10 minutes and then it’s suddenly over. For a demonic entity with a real mission, it sure gave up without much of a fight. It was almost like it knew it was on 100th page of the script and it was time to wrap it up quick. An otherwise strong horror movie left me disappointed at the end. You don’t want that to be your audiences’ last feeling.