A refreshing return to the vintage suspense of the sixties and seventies; one of the best horror films of recent years.

Rating: 8/10 (11 February 2018)

'The Conjuring (2013)' represents a wonderful marriage of two very different yet complementary schools of film-making, that being the vintage suspense of the sixties and seventies with the snappy scares of today's show-not-tell mentality, and as such it is a brilliantly tangible slow-burn of a piece that isn't afraid to earn its eventual scares. Almost an hour is dedicated to character set-up and subtle 'bumps in the night' which - unlike in the old-school movies it draws inspiration from - then transform into overt horror in the feature's fantastically frenzied final act. It's the combination of the older, more tangible techniques with the overtly supernatural story that isn't afraid to go all out - not to mention the bigger budget and today's technical ability - that makes for an amazingly affecting and enjoyable piece that has several sequences of genuine suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat. One of the best horror films in recent years. 8/10