Fantastic horror film that stands out from the modern day crowd

Rating: 7/10 (28 June 2016)

In my opinion, many horror films today lack depth and meaning in their films. This is why the Conjuring is good; it stands out as a truly scary horror film that uses more than just jump scares to entice the audience. The film's excellent cinematography creates a brilliant atmosphere that truly engrosses the audience in the film, the performances are great with the children in the film not being incredibly cringe-worthy, the lighting and special effects are superb (bar one specific part that I will talk about later) and the story is rather well written.
As well as this, I believe it's safe to say that The Conjuring 2 could be viewed without seeing the first film. That being said, having watched the first film and other films set in that universe (such as Anabelle) can help to create a better understanding for the audience.
While the film is technically excellent, there are a few things that let the film down(Bear in mind that the events in the film are based upon the Enfield haunting in Enfield, London). For example, there are some plot lines that can seem quite confusing for the audience; there are 2 different plot lines at the beginning that eventually merge and become one (the Warrens in the US and the Hodgson family in London) Sometimes the transition can seem confusing; it often feels like two different films with the Warrens having completely different experiences to the Hodgsons. This is eventually tied together, albeit quite loosely. There is no real explanation as to why (Spoilers form here)...
...Valak, the main demon in the film, "possesses"/uses the old man as a pawn to haunt the Hodgsons, they just seem to be used together, despite the fact that they are situated in completely different places. As well as this, there is a second demon with the Hodgsons in the form of The Crooked Man. There seems to be so much more that can be done with this character that isn't explored, it seems as if it's there and then suddenly isn't (this may be a way of hinting at a separate film with the crooked man. Another issue with the crooked man is the fact that he is neither CGI or Mocapped, but rather an animated clay figure. While this does look incredibly creepy, it seems to break some immersion a bit. It is easy to tell it's clay animation which doesn't really fit the theme of the rest of the film. The clay animation isn't used very often, however, which is worth noting Overall, The Conjuring 2 is an excellent sequel and a fantastic horror film. I would definitely recommend watching the film, whether you're aware of The Conjuring or any story relating to the Warrens, this film is an enjoyable experience and gives the audience a few good scares.