A Genuinely Scary Throwback to Old-School Horror

Rating: 9/10 (31 August 2014)

It's been quite some time since I've seen a film as seriously creepy and spine-tingling as the paranormal horror film, THE CONJURING (2013), from director James Wan (Saw, Insidious). It's a film that taps into your darkest fears of the supernatural, not with grotesque gore (which I don't mind in certain films), but with a slow build up of spooky, foreboding atmosphere and psychological dread achieved through extended silences, eerily long camera moves and expertly timed reveals. This is not only one of the best supernatural/haunted house films I've ever seen, but one of the best horror films of the last two decades.
The film stars Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as Ed and Lorraine Warren, a real-life married couple and paranormal investigation team who were also involved in the case of the haunting of the DeFeo residence in Amityville, NY which became known as The Amityville Horror. The couple has amassed a collection of thousands of case files throughout their years of investigating the supernatural. Lorraine is a clairvoyant who experiences visions of past events and present demons upon entering a haunted residence. She has a gift (though some may call it a curse) that allows her to see things that other people probably wouldn't want to see. Ed Warren does not possess the same clairvoyant gift as his wife, but he is just as knowledgeable about everything paranormal. Ed has the distinction of being the only person not ordained by the Catholic Church who is authorized to perform exorcisms.
The time period is the 1970s. After giving a lecture at a local college, Ed and Lorraine are approached by a concerned woman (Lili Taylor) who claims that after moving with her family into a new home, they have begun to experience bizarre and frightening occurrences. The woman, whose name is Carolyn Perron, asks Ed and Lorraine if they will come and have a look inside the house, and needless to say, what they find is not pretty. Ed and Lorraine soon take on the case and attempt to help the Perron family (the mother, the father played by Ron Livingston, and their five daughters) rid their house of the malevolent entities that have inhabited it.
The primary highlights here are the stellar direction and expertly crafted scares orchestrated by the talented young filmmaker and horror maestro James Wan. The atmosphere is effectively eerie and foreboding at all times. Wan makes good use of uncomfortably long silences and lingering camera shots, creating suspense through fearful anticipation. On the surface it may seem that the usual haunted house movie tropes are thrown in, but ultimately it's not about what devices are used, but the fresh and innovative ways in which Wan uses them. The slow-burn pace of the first half causes you to become deeply connected with the characters, and by the time you arrive at the intense second half, you are fully invested in every twist and turn.
The biggest standout performance in the film comes from Vera Farmiga as Lorraine Warren, the kind, soft-spoken wife and mother who happens to be frightfully tuned in to the supernatural world. The screenplay and Farmiga's performance do an excellent job of conveying Lorraine's overwhelming desire to help others despite the toll it takes on her both physically and psychologically. As Ed says in the movie, "Every case takes a little piece of her." Lorraine is an incredibly brave, strong, and intelligent woman who is also quite compassionate, especially to anyone with problems of the paranormal variety. Patrick Wilson's performance as Ed Warren is also quite good. Ed primarily follows Lorraine's lead when it comes to her visions and the things she picks up from entering a house, but he is very confident and knowledgeable in his own right. Ed is very supportive of Lorraine and looks out for her well-being first and foremost. He obviously wants to continue the work he does with Lorraine but is also concerned about the potentially negative effects it can have on her. They discuss this issue several times throughout the film. The pair makes an excellent team and they balance each other out quite nicely. Lili Taylor does a very good job as the loving and concerned mother of the haunted family, and Ron Livingston is excellent as usual as the laid-back, but also caring and concerned, father. I'm unfamiliar with the five young actresses who play the daughters, but each one of them delivers an extremely genuine and sympathetic performance while managing to bring unique traits to their characters. Through rich, detailed characterizations, we come to care deeply for everyone in the film.
The sound design in the film brings the overall feeling of dread up several levels. A creaking door, a whispering voice, an eerie song from a child's toy, a loud CRASH, all expertly crafted to keep you on the edge of your seat, ready to jump a mile at any given moment. Every song on the soundtrack oozes 1970s vibes and manages to capture the mood and feel from that time period flawlessly.
THE CONJURING is a rare horror film in this day and age. One with little to no blood or gore, where the main characters aren't teenagers. This film is all about a fear of the dark, a fear of the unknown. It causes you to confront your darkest supernatural nightmares by leaving a certain amount to the imagination, which is almost certainly worse than anything that could ever be shown. This film is a loving homage/throwback to horror films of old, and takes the foundation those films have set and creatively builds upon it. THE CONJURING is one of the best and flat-out most unsettling and frightening horror movies I've ever seen. My recommendation: watch it in the middle of the night in the pitch dark for maximum effect.
http://www.themovierealm.blogspot.com