THE CONJURING – The Review

Before they reached the peak of their notoriety with their investigation into the Amityville Horror, world renowned paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren tackled a house full of spooks in Harrisville, Rhode Island. SAW (the first one) and INSIDIOUS director James Wan plays the haunted house game once again to tell this story with the New Line Cinema production THE CONJURING. The ghost hunting couple (played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) was called to help Carolyn and Roger Perron (Lily Taylor and Ron Livingston) and their brood of five daughters who were being terrorized by a dark presence in their secluded farmhouse in 1971. Forced to confront a powerful and increasingly dangerous demonic entity, the Warrens found themselves caught up in what they called the most horrifying case of their lives.

Unlike most modern horror movies, THE CONJURING relies more on mood and suspense than effects or gore (I have no idea why it’s rated R – no one even smokes!). Much of the plot turns in THE CONJURING are straight out of the “how to make a haunted house film” manual, especially the subsection dealing with demonic possession. We get sleepwalking children, cold drafts, odd smells (“like rotting meat!” – that can’t be good!), the family dog who won’t go inside, unexplained bruises that appear on the Carolyn’s body – even the creepiest of creepy dolls. I don’t think there’s one original concept in THE CONJURING but it works just the same. Wan has come up with a marvelously spooky ghost story that may possibly scare the wits out women and children and offend those parents who believe that kids should be protected from their own, sometimes savage imaginations. It’s a simple exercise in scares that gets under your skin. It’s also a meticulous re-creation of the early ‘70’s, an era that Hollywood almost always gets wrong.

Wan shows a real mastery of pacing and tension with THE CONJURING. There are several scenes involving a mirror placed in a music box. You know something’s going to pop up in that mirror that shouldn’t be there. You’ve seen it before, but Wan makes it work each time. The film isn’t edited for the MTV generation – no quick-cut madness here! It’s all about a steady use of creepy production design, and effective use of sound and darkness. It’s how a horror flick should be shot! Lily Taylor is outstanding as Carolyn, particularly in the second half of the film when the demons begins to exact their physical toll. Wilson (reteaming with his INSIDIOUS director) lends an authoritative presence as Ed while Farmiga is terrific as Lorraine, the one with the real psychic abilities who sees the dangers before anyone. THE CONJURING is like a thoroughly enjoyable nightmare, one that you know that you can always wake up from, and one in which, at the end, no one has permanently been damaged. It’s good scary fun.

4 of 5 Stars