Well made, but why so predictable?

Rating: 6/10 (14 June 2014)

Director James Wan said that he watched loads of '70s haunted house movies before sitting down to direct this, his latest horror movie after the INSIDIOUS flicks. Unfortunately, it appears that the co-writers of the script also watched all the same movies, because this turns out to be yet another entirely predictable exercise in fear-building.
I don't really have a huge problem with THE CONJURING, other than to say that it's all been done - and been done better - before. The old movies like THE AMITYVILLE HORROR and THE ENTITY just seemed to have more authenticity, better production values, and a freshness that made them more frightening. THE CONJURING, meanwhile, goes through the motions without ever offering anything even remotely resembling new.
Saying that, it's pretty good by modern genre standards and a lot better than the schlocky INSIDIOUS movies, also starring Patrick Wilson. The characters played by Wilson and Farmiga are entertaining, not least because they're based on a true-life ghost-busting couple (although to credit them as the "world's most renowned" is insulting, given the reputation of other noted paranormal investigators in recent history such as Peter Underwood, Maurice Grosse and Guy Lyon Playfair).
The film looks good, and the cast can't be faulted for really getting behind their characters. A shame, then, that Wan is severely lacking in imagination when it comes to the scares. Typically they involve spooky wardrobes, characters descending into cobwebby and unlit rooms, and loud noises on otherwise quiet soundtracks. All very predictable. And the ending goes down THE EXORCIST route again, which is disappointing. Like SINISTER, this is a film with bags of atmosphere and lots of potential which is well worth a watch for genre fans, but it lacks the magic spark to make it anything other than average.