A Film With "Jumps"...But Also A Good Story

Rating: 7/10 (5 March 2017)

Horror films admittedly are not my favorite genre of film, but when I'm watching a good one it is usually a pretty engrossing experience for me. All too often, horror flicks are just full of "cheap scares" that are good for getting the boys to wrap their arms a little tighter around their girlfriends. While "The Conjuring" does provide those moments, it also tells a pretty good demonic possession story along the way.
For a basic plot summary, "The Conjuring" tells the story of Roger (Ron Livingstone), Carolyn (Lili Taylor), and their five daughters who move into a new house that they quickly discover is infested by demonic forces. As such, demonologists Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) are called in to try and subdue the hauntings.
Obviously, the first criteria any horror movie is judged by is quite simple: is it scary? "The Conjuring" easily passes that test, as not only does it have some of the requisite "jump moments", but also some psychological terror as well. It pretty much single-handedly brought the kids game of "hide-and-clap" back into national consciousness.
Beyond the scares, though, the movie tells a pretty intriguing story revolving around demonic possession. In fact, I actually thought the film could have focused even more on those areas (adding more of a "God vs. Devil" aspect) in order to gain the five-star ranking, but it is still interesting nonetheless. Clearly, director James Wan (also director of the first few "Saw" movies) knows how to weave a compelling story into a scary narrative.
Overall, I enjoyed the experience of "The Conjuring". It isn't in my top echelon of scary movies (Halloween, Saw, The Ring), but it is far better than most slashers or gore-fests.