Much better horror than the usual fare

Rating: 8/10 (1 August 2013)

There has been a lot of horror in the past 5 years. A lot of it seems to be in love with the "found footage" format which frankly is getting very tiring. I'm happy to see that not everyone thinks horror has to have a shaky first-person camera.
James Wan is a terrific horror director with very good instincts. He is old-school. I never caught Saw in a theater, because I'm not usually attracted to horrors that aren't fantasy (slasher-based horrors), with the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre being a rare exception. But when I did catch up to Saw I was struck by its wonderful suspense and plot twisting. I am surprised, however, that Wan's directing career took a long hiatus. It seems to be firing up better now.
Like the rest of Wan's work, The Conjuring has strong character and plot building, and careful camera work. I've seen so many horror movies that nothing really scares me anymore, and yet Wan's Insidious chilled me in a few scenes, so I was really looking forward to The Conjuring. While I didn't feel it was quite as scary for me as Insidious, it has its moments. Sure got some screams out of the audience! And that's what's fun about seeing horrors at the theater anyway.
The Conjuring is alleged to be based on a true story, and I really liked the attention Wan gave not just to the victims but to the investigators, weaving the personal lives of two families around the events in a classic haunted house.
I will always be looking out for another James Wan movie to see!