An old school horror that frightens without cheap thrills

Rating: 7/10 (26 June 2016)

"The Conjuring" is a 2013 horror movie by James Wan. It features what is claimed to be the true story of a family haunted by a demonic entity in their new house in Rhode Island. Their story merges with that of two famous ghost-hunters who take to heart their situation. Although a ghost story is maybe the most overused narrative trigger for a horror movie, Wan manages to direct a film where the usual thrill providers (doors squeaking, childish voices whispering, hand out of nowhere and everything else) are used in a stylish and well paced way, thus incredibly managing to feel as fresh as the first time you've experienced it. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson do a great job as the explorers of the supernatural, delivering some heartfelt performances. The feel of the movie is very classic: it's clear that the director tried his best to make the audience feel like watching an old-style horror flick, and that mostly works, with explicit references to "The Exorcist", haunted house movies in general, and even "The Birds" by Hitchcock. I also enjoyed the duality of the story, taking its time introducing a seemingly unrelated side-horror tale about an extremely creepy doll, Annabelle, whom apparently people keep in their houses although it gives chills just by looking at her. Anyway, "The Conjuring" is a rare well-crafted horror movie in these years, so it deserves a round of applause for trying to keep the genre from collapsing. I'm still bedazzled by the fact that this movie and the god-awful "Dead Silence" share the same director: an example of how important is the screen writing in a movie, especially a mystery one like this one.