THE CONJURING
**1/2
DIRECTED BY James Wan
STARS Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson
Every couple of years, the American moviegoing public is greeted with a film that instantly earns the enviable tag of “One of the Scariest Movies Ever Made!” This designation used to be reserved for only the most special of terror tales — Psycho, The Exorcist, Alien — but these days, it’s a catchphrase free-for-all, without much meaning. Saw, The Descent (far and away the best of the bunch), Paranormal Activity, Insidious, Sinister — the list goes on. (But no Jack and Jill? What the hell?) The Conjuring is the latest picture to manufacture this reputation for itself, and it seems to have taken hold in many moviegoers who are treating it like the second coming of Linda Blair. I suppose it’s possible to be shaken to the core by this movie — even if it’s really not much more frightening than, say, The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone or Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island — but ultimately, it’s just one more recycled haunted-house yarn, albeit one that’s modestly elevated by James Wan’s relatively restrained direction and a roster of characters who are more levelheaded than the usual gang of idiots who populate films of this nature.
Reportedly based on a true story — and if you believe that everything in this film really did happen, then I have 20 acres of NoDa property I can sell you cheap — this examines what paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) consider the most frightening and baffling case of their careers. It’s the early 1970s, and they’re called upon to check out a house newly purchased by the Perrons: dad Roger (Ron Livingston), mom Carolyn (Lili Taylor) and their five daughters. It’s a pleasant enough property, but once the Perrons move in, weird things begin happening. First, of course, they discover the lovable family pooch laying dead outside. Then birds begin slamming into the house. Then all the clocks stop at 3:07 … every night. Strange clapping sounds, unexplained bruises all over Carolyn’s body, doors creaking open by themselves — time to call the Ghostbusters! Or, in a pinch, the Warrens.
To his credit, Wan relies on establishing and maintaining mood more than engaging in cheap scares or buckets of blood, but there’s only so much that can be done with a premise as overexposed as this one (is there anything less cinematic than watching people monitoring cameras and tape recorders?). The filmmakers try to generate some tension with a leering doll that’s no match for Trilogy of Terror‘s Zuni doll, a guest appearance by the title apparition in Mama, and even the Pixar ball being rolled across a floor, but the return on investment is minimal — the concession prices will scare more people than any of these devices. The Conjuring boasts top production values and an admirable refusal to condescend to its audience, but we really should be demanding more from our horror flicks.
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This article appears in Jul 24-30, 2013.
this guy has no idea what he is talking about, we should expect more from our horror films? what do purpose we should get. this movie is the scariest best done horror movie have seen since Poltergeist. Yes, it is not a new take on the haunted house theme, but it does better than any in recent memory. It does old school style, setting mood, generating real scares not gross out scenes. the fact that you can sit their and say it was not a good horror film proves one thing the fact you have not seen many. i have spent most of my life watching scary movies, i have seen thousands of them, i own over a thousand horror films. this is one of the best, you mention the The Decent, i was not impressed it was okay, but nothing to write home about. it was a better version of The Cave. This is a movie that makes squirm, makes you curse under your breath, sends shivers down your spine. That is what i want and something had been missing for a while. it is something i got with the Conjuring. we do expect more and we got it with this movie.
I agree with this review totally. The Conjuring is just well-made but apart from that it’s the same old formula stuff you see in all horror films. Come on – can we get out of the haunted house and scary little girls tricks for once!
So you’re comparing this movie to Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island? I don’t believe perspective is your strong point, Matt.