The Conjuring is a memorable, well acted and genuinely frightening horror film.

Rating: 9/10 (17 December 2014)

Summary: The Conjuring is a memorable, well acted and genuinely frightening horror film. 90/100 (A-)
The Conjuring is a horror film directed by James Wan and it was my most anticipated horror movie of 2013. Moving on, the opening scene is spooky, since here you can behold the stunning camera work; this little scene is about a possessed doll called Annabelle. This scene keeps the suspense and the scariness. There are two stories in the movie; the first one is about Lorraine and Ed Warren, they are two paranormal investigators, both have a little daughter and they live in a nice house. Then, there's the other story about a likable family who has experienced some paranormal events in their new home. It doesn't matter how cliché it sounds, this is a terrific horror film.
After the first 30 minutes or so, there are the first scares, all of them are very effective, unexpected and well executed. Even though I didn't jump out of my seat (maybe because jump-scares are not effective in me and some of the scares were in the trailer) I have to admit that the film freaked me out so much, it boasts some extremely violent sequences and it was so damn thrilling at several moments. A few scares were pretty familiar and it's true that it doesn't offer something new to the horror genre, but it has enough creativity and originality to succeed. In addition, it is very similar in tone to 'The Woman in Black', both have a well handled suspense and an atmospheric setting.
The performances were great, even the young cast was awesome. The most believable character in the film was Christine (performed by Joey King), this girl was excellent. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga were good as always, Vera's character "Lorraine" was a bit surreal but her stunning performance made me believe in all of what she said. Also, Lili Taylor did an excellent job with her role throughout the film, she was amazing, especially in the chilling final act. Moving on, the special effects were quite realistic and so well done. In spite of being a low budget film, it didn't use too much CGI, maybe just in a couple scenes, but everything looks great anyway.
Its final act has some flaws, the exorcism scene has its ups and downs. However, I still liked it, this whole sequence is truly violent, a bit bloody and creepy. The acting was awesome here, Lili Taylor is such a great actress and she really looked like a possessed woman. I just can't believe that Wan directed this flick, most of his previous movies are quite average; but this one, it's a total blast. The Conjuring is an extremely well done horror film that has an impressive camera work, a great cast and lots of memorable scares. It definitely earns its R rating because it's very gruesome and evil at times. It's my favorite horror film of 2013. Oh, and please don't watch the trailer, it's a huge spoiler. (A-)