Still though, The Conjuring is a film that works though it does lack originality.

Rating: 8/10 (22 August 2014)

If you say you like horror, you would have to know James Wan. He is a director who's only made a impact since the 2000's but it's a big mark indeed. He first created Saw in 2004 which was a clever and original torture film that later turned into six more films. Dead Silence came next for him which I've never seen but it has killer dolls in the plot that comes off as original even in pre-watch. Even though more of a physiological film, he created Death Sentence in 2007 which can be described as a crime film. He went back horror in 2010 with Insidious which felt something similar to the classic Poltergeist, with a family getting haunted by a demon and Insidious 2 came in 2013.
With Wan announcing himself directing the next Fast and Furious, it's now safe to say that horror may be done for him and he's going in another direction. Regardless of where he's going, I'm going to support him because I am a fan of his. The Conjuring as possibly his last horror movie fits solidly into his filmography though.
Based off a true story and set in the 70's, a family of six with five daughters move into a country house looking for a new start and really a new chapter on life. After what seems like random noises that could be found throughout any house, the Perron family starts to notice that these aren't random noises and they later contact paranormal investigators Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Fleming) Warren. This is a haunted house film with also some homage to the 70's and of course it's horror.
If you ever seen Wan's previous work, Insidious which we have talked about, then you know what the The Conjuring is. Like Insidious, The Conjuring has a family, investigators and Patrick Wilson was also in Insidious. Still though, The Conjuring is a film that works though it does lack originality.
The list of why this works without originality is granted very long. Setting this movie in the 70's is fresh and innovating. Ed and Lorraine are the type of characters that are very interesting and the movie has a very cool premise. These are the type of characters I could watch quite often in movies to come. Lili Taylor in particular delivers a performance that stands above them all. The movie provides many scares, at least it did for me, and for a person who doesn't get scared by many things, that's definitely saying something. I can also appreciate the smart ending here that just makes you appreciate how much James Wan knows horror.
With a sequel set to be put out in 2015 and spin-off film coming out the first week of October in 2014, the future of this film is far from over. It is something I am surely looking forward to. The Conjuring won't go down as Wan's best work but it won't be his worst work either. I would put it in the middle o his filmography.