Holy shi't, James Wan!

Rating: 10/10 (16 June 2016)

Are you trying to give me a heart attack?
You want to talk scary? THIS is scary. 2013, Wan came out with another horror movie, called The Conjuring. It didn't take long before it got hailed as one of the best new horror movies. And I couldn't help but agree. I hadn't found a movie so scary in a long time.
Then I today went to the theaters to see the sequel. I was hopeful, despite the common once-is-enough rule when it comes to horror movies. But I gotta say, this movie was fantastic. I loved it even more than the first one! First off, if there's anything Wan knows how to do, it's an opening scene. If you're not invested from the start, it's a little harder to get into a movie meant to be frightening. But he succeeds with exactly that, and I feel exhausted before the title scroll even has shown up. The story when you think about it, is pretty similar to the first, but with the big difference that not only the family with the haunted house in the danger. Ed and Lorraine themselves are too! And I have to give credit for how their characters were developed in this movie. The movie delves very deep into the personalities of them, with Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga doing an extraordinary job making them likable. They are well-written not only as two people really passionate about their unusual profession, but as a loving and caring couple as well. The scenes where they show their affection for each other are superb.
But of course, I'm mainly here to talk about whether or not it was effective as a horror movie. And it sure as hell was. Jumpscares or not, when you think about it... Doesn't Crooked Man just scare the s'hit out of you? And doesn't it feel disturbingly surreal when a girl suddenly gets the palest face and starts smiling evilly, all while speaking with a rusty old man's voice? And doesn't it make you uneasy when something simply supposed to be a painting comes to life?
The Conjuring 2 is more than just the half-creepy/half-amusing horror movie you watch and then forget about. It's an experience. One that makes you speechless with wonder.
9.5, the rating is only knocked down by a few cheesy moments and (very intermittent) parts of off pacing. I recommend it to anyone desperate for a revival in the genre. Because real horror... is finally back.