Horror genre lived up to its name

Rating: 10/10 (15 June 2016)

I am pleasantly surprised by the current rating of the movie. I honestly believe it is worth it. Personally, I gave it a 10, because I want to encourage other studios to scrutinize and study this film, in order to prevent themselves from making unworthy movies.
The plot itself is not the most original piece out there, but it features great atmosphere, a couple of laughs here and there, an unexpected exorcism and a haunting (literally) presence.
I am a fan of the horror genre. It has been quite disappointing to see studios being utterly insensitive to change and to always toy around with the same concept: a remote house with a dark past and a family tortured by an entity.
What I like in Conjuring is that seemingly third-person actors become the protagonists. It is not only about the family's suffering anymore. They are represented as the saviors, spreading their glimmer of hope. The second installment did not fail my expectations. Several jump scares and a fey presence which you can carry with you in your memory. A few movies have managed to accomplish that, especially to a fan of the genre, like myself. To date, it was the Grudge, the Ring, Drag me to Hell's gypsy woman and Dead Silence's Mary Shaw. I do admit, however, that the resemblance of the ghost to Marilyn Manson was uncanny. That is not to say that the ghost does not remain scary. Its portrayal is complemented with an assertive look, symmetrically outlined from the nun's outfit. For those who have watched the movie, they will know that I am currently misusing the "ghost" word, but I do not wish to spoil anything.
Additionally, I really liked the addition of a twist; it did not ruin the pace of the plot nor did it bring any confusion. Rather, it was a twist that motivated certain actions. I will use one word to explain this, again, primarily directed to the ones who have watched it: pawn.
One thing I disliked was two scenes with CGI, the exorcism and the Crooked Man. The crooked man was an unnecessary addition - it would have been better if the actual entity was used instead. Plus, the artistic look was quite poor and I could occasionally discern motion capture exaggerations - this might probably come from the fact that I develop video games and have thus been exposed to lots of CGI, animations, and special effects.
Overall, an enjoyable horror film and with a worthy placement in my list of recommendations. I do wish the same entity is reused somehow in upcoming installments - it appeared too powerful to be cast away like that. Plus, it was very well made, so it would be a waste if it does not get recycled at some point.