Conjured up one of this years best horror films

Rating: 8/10 (16 August 2013)

Haunted house movies are really getting old, aren't they? We know all the clichés that have been done to death with creaky doors, ghosts that say "Boo!" in the night, dark cobweb laden cellars that often end up being dimly lit by a single match. They aren't creepy anymore and they're boring. Well, James Wan has proved this philosophy to be entirely untrue and shows that the haunted house genre is very much still alive and still effective and creepy. The Conjuring does nothing new with the genre, and although this may sound off-putting it really shouldn't be, as it still manages to be one of the best haunted house films of recent memory and quite possibly the best horror film to have come out this year (although You're Next is getting closer!) The Conjuring has a great 70's vibe to it right from the terrific opening titles that atmospherically crawl up the screen after the creepy opening involving a possessed doll. Most films that proclaim to be true stories are largely fabricated, but The Conjuring is an exception as it is based on the case files of real life investigators of the paranormal, Lorraine and Ed Warren (played brilliantly by Mr.Wilson and Miss.Farmiga). The writers had been in touch with the real Lorraine Warren during the writing process, and whilst the film has taken liberties, Lorraine proclaims the events depicted in the film to be largely true which makes the film all the more creepy.
I liked how the first half of the film balances the lives of the haunted Perron family and the investigative Warren family. This makes the second half of when the Warren's become involved all the more involving. Usually in these types of films (and even in James Wans' very own Insidious) the investigators are thrown in towards the end to get rid of the problem. The Conjuring feels much more authentic in this respect as we gain insight into their lives which show them as ordinary people. Of course, the Perron family moving in are of course the more interesting aspect of the first half, which is why more focus is given to them, and wisely so.
The Conjuring is constantly gripping thanks to the continuous scares it delivers. Unfortunately I never felt scared like I did in, say, Insidious or Sinister, but The Conjuring definitely did have one or two moments that creeped me out. James Wan is a master behind the camera and knows exactly how to conjure up (see what I did there?) suspense and a very strong creepy atmosphere. Instead of using close-ups and quick-cuts that make it impossible to see what's going on, James uses long shots that are largely in one take that are so much more effect. A scare is ultimately like a punch line to a joke, and more often than not the punch-line is scares fails to deliver, but The Conjuring does. The use of silences and sounds is also very effective indeed and especially works well in a cinema or, I would assume, with a surround sound system. I'm fairly sure that had I watched this on my own in the dark, I would've been scared.
One stand-out scene for me involves the mother playing "hide and clap" with her youngest daughter. This scene shows off James' talents to a tee and is one of the creepiest scenes in the entire film. After a slow, but never boring first half things begin to heat up more in the second half when the Warrens come in to investigate which acuminates to a thrilling finale where you really care about what happens to the characters. Some people say that the finale is a little too Hollywood, but I found it effective and thrilling within the contents of the film and it also delivered some creepy images.
So although The Conjuring offers nothing new, it really doesn't matter. James Wan delivers the frights so effectively that you'll feel like you've never seen anything like it before. It's old-school horror done right. However, I didn't quite like it as much as Sinister, which I found scarier or James' previous ghost story, Insidious which I also found scarier than this one. However, I was also a fan of Insidious' controversial third half, so people who disliked that about Insidious will without a doubt enjoy The Conjuring more. It's refreshing to see a genuinely creepy haunted house film as there have been so many duds such as: The Pact, Darkness and that terrible UK TV show, Lightfields that just do not know how to creep out an audience! Whilst The Conjuring may not frighten the hardest horror fans, some parts might just get under your skin. The film is well worth seeing anyway just for the wonderful directing, acting, special effects and set design. This is a very solid ghost story and I look forward to James Wan's imminent sequel to Insidious.