100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 119: The Conjuring

Director: James Wan

Genre: Horror/ Thriller

Runtime: 112 minutes

Year: 2013

Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Ron Livingston, Lili Taylor, Shanley Caswell, Haylet McFarland, Joey King, Mackenzie Foy, Kyla Deaver, Shannon Kook, John Brotherton, Sterling Jerins, Marion Guyot, Morganna Bridgers, Amy Tipton, Zach Pappas, Rose Bachter, J. Donovan Nelson, Christop Veillon, Carmella Gioio, Steve Coulter

Description: Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse.

Review: The movie is set in 1971 and is based on the true story of Roger and Carolyn Perron, who move to a beautiful house in New England with their five daughters. It doesn’t take long before strange things start to happen. At night the clocks always stop at 3.07, Carolyn has mysterious bruises on her body, unidentified clapping during a game of hide and seek and birds flying against the windows. After an unpleasant event the Perrons decide to call for help. Ed and Lorraine Warren are paranormal investigators and try to find out the dark secrets of the house.

The story of “The Conjuring” has been done so many times, but the way it’s executed is just sublime. Clichés are clichés, but when they are done well it’s not a problem. Old houses are creepy, with their cracking sounds and basement filled with old stuff. The images aren’t new either: doors that open, strange toys, dark corners. It is all done so well, that you’re sucked in and it’s terrifying. With that director James Wan has a great sense of subtle timing, it scares you at the moments you know something is going to happen. This is also because of the good sound effects.

“The Conjuring” manages to avoid the traps. He chooses suspense over CGI and that’s the way I like to see a good horror thriller. The focus is also on the characters. The Perrons are a sympathetic family, they react naturally to the happenings in their house. It always bothers me when characters hold on to “there has to be a rational explanation for all this”. The acting is also fantastic, especially Vera Farmiga is wonderful in her role. You feel the fear they feel.

The first part of the film is the strongest. You feel a constant threat. I always find the things you don’t see more scary than the ones you do see. A movie I found hard to watch by myself, because it’s truly terrifying. A horror movie is good when it genuinely scares you and that’s what “The Conjuring” did.

Rating: 4,5/ 5