A satisfyingly frightful film

Rating: 7/10 (30 October 2016)

I have to admit, I wasn't The Conjuring's (2013) biggest fan. The film felt like yet another possession story that has been told in a very similar way since The Exorcist (1973). The jump scares were there and provided everyone in the theater a good spook, but the cliché nature of the film prevented from rating it anything other than O.K. James Wan's The Conjuring 2 is very much a story told in the same way as the previous film. Ed and Lorraine Warren are once again sent on task to aid a family being haunted by a truly terrifying demon. There are far more twists and turns to this iteration in The Conjuring series than its previous entry., but the most amusing part of this film is Wan's wonderful recreation of 1970's England. The Hodgson family is in great distress by the time the Warren's arrive, and sure enough, this films demonic presence doesn't like it. What transpires is a jumpy and at times horrific demon tale that is far from original.
The movie progresses very much like the first entry and the acting throughout the film is serviceable if not mediocre at times. Thankfully, Wan pulls us into the horror immediately, leaving us on pins and needles for the films surprisingly lengthy run time (2+ hours). You are definitely getting a lot of scare for your buck, which is arguably the films greatest accomplishment. Many modern horror films run under 90 minutes, so a lengthy ghost tail is a treat. While the demon possession story has been told many times, the consistently ominous tone of the film is no joke. Wan's camera-work is wonderfully traditional for a horror film, full of close ups and some well planned continuous shots. The film ends abruptly and without much resolution, its hard not to wish there was a bit more put into the concluding moments. I don't how many more of these films in The Conjuring series can be made before they are cast aside a repetitive, but as long as Wan is behind the camera, its worth giving it a try
7/10 - Good