Cookie Cutter Horror Film?

Rating: 6/10 (14 August 2014)

In the past 5-10 years, the new, big, box office movies that everyone tells you to go see or is hyped up about fit into a few categories, especially in the horror genre. Lately, it's been a zombie apocalypse or demon possession movie. Not saying these are the only types of horror movies that are coming out, but movies like World War Z, I Am Legend, Warm Bodies, Last Days On Mars, VHS, Contracted... as well as Haunting In Conneticut, Last Exorcism 1 & 2, Paranormal Activity 1-5, The Devil Inside, Insidious; are all pieces of the puzzle.
What does it take to make it a good horror film? Well, the answer is going to be different for everyone. Are you watching a horror movie to jump, make your brain feel like it's gonna explode, laugh, because it's supernatural, because it's possible, impossible? These are all for the eye of the beholder.
Graphics - 9/10 CGI and HD isn't for everyone, but graphics in the 21st century have improved so much. A lot of scenes in The Conjuring are very professionally done, especially with unique scenes like the bed sheet blowing into an invisible entity, a young girl pulled by her hair by the same invisible entity, and a lady tied to a chair that floats in the air. So visually, it is well produced, and not some B rated cult film.
How Scary It Is - 5/10 "Scary" again is different to everyone. This movie has both jump scenes and disturbing images. But a majority of the tense moments are things that you see coming. For long, tense scenes, this movie gets a 7/10, but for the disturbing images, some were just too forced and almost more funny rather than scary, giving it a 3/10, so for an overall rating, it gets a 5/10.
Storyline - 4/10 Horror movies usually aren't known for their great storyline, but it does make an impact in the film overall. Acting was fair, cast was good, however, while watching, one can't help but compare this to all the other possession movies that have come out in the past 5 years. It's the story we've scene many times: family moves into a new house, experiences slightly strange things at first, it progresses, they call in the professionals, then someone gets completely possessed, then it all goes crazy bloody, with screaming and either everyone dies at the end or everyone lives. That description sums up too many movies, and The Conjuring, although had some unique and memorable scenes, is molded too much like the rest of this sub-genre of 21st century horror.
So, if you came across this movie and have the opportunity to watch it, by all means, it's something that I would recommend watching, not because it's a mind-blowing, fantastic film, but simply because it wasn't a bad film. The demon possession franchise is a sub-genre that I don't want to disappear, but it's something that I want to see break out of the cookie cutter mold and develop into something unique and great.