"The Conjuring" has everything you could want in one supernatural film

Rating: 9/10 (18 October 2013)

"The Conjuring" is my favorite type of supernatural horror film. It has deeper meaning to it than just getting people scared. Everything about it is top shelf solid quality horror. I also applaud any movie that makes people think about the reality of God and the Devil.
The Perron family is terrorized by what they come to believe is a spiritual presence in their home. Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren come to the family's aid and discover that it's not only haunted but dwelled in by the demonic spirit of a witch who cursed the land she was hung on. Can the Warrens find a way to rid the house of the evil before it takes a tragic toll on the Perrons?
Although it's based on actual events, everyone knows "The Conjuring" has been sensationalized for a movie-going audience. That doesn't change the fact that it demands its audience ponder the existence of a spiritual world outside of the physical one we can see, touch, hear, and smell. It also makes a point of letting you know that just because you don't believe in something doesn't mean it's not real.
The biggest scares you'll get from "The Conjuring" aren't even necessarily the ones you'll see and hear on screen. I found myself more frightened after the film ended. I was left thinking about it in the "real" world. That's the beauty of a great horror film - it stays with you long after the credits have rolled.
Let's just call it like it is. "The Conjuring" is the "Amityville Horror" of this decade. There's a lot of speculation around the Amityville house, but it's famous and put this movie's paranormal detectives in in the headlines and on TV. This is a story so fascinating that you don't want to believe it. However, somewhere in the back of your head you know it's true.
"The Conjuring" is rated R for sequences of disturbing violence and terror. There's no nudity in the film. Some bad language can be found as well.
Many Christians and religious folks will no doubt disagree with demonic possession being used as a vehicle for entertainment. I look at it as an opportunity to expose and educate a generation of people who have come to believe in nothing and just live life the best they can in spiritual darkness. I know that's pretty heavy thinking put into what most look at as a horror movie.
"The Conjuring" has everything you could want in one supernatural film. There's the old creepy house, demons, ghosts, a hanging tree, a freaky doll, and so much more. I can't think of a single genre item it missed. The funny thing is, it doesn't feel over-stuffed or like it's going to burst at the seams. It's just a good old-fashioned supernatural thriller that will entertain and make the audience ponder it well past the closing credits.