A Spookily Good Start To A Haunting Series...

Rating: 8/10 (16 July 2019)

I'd heard bad reviews about this film from some friends so it took me a little while to get to it on my watch list... I've learnt a very important lesson from this, sometimes you're friends can me wrong...
In this day and age of average horror flicks, it's so nice to come across a true eerily chilling masterpiece, which this is. I loved the fact that this story, and the other conjuring tales, is based on reported ghost and possession stories. I won't go as far as to say that these stories are real, though I do believe. Of course, they have been "Hollywood"'ed up to entertain the paying masses and get bums on seats. It's in this respect that both the writers, Chad & Carey W Hayes and director James Wan draw a perfect line to get the story across while making it entertaining.
Wan is great at giving a scare too as he utilises everything in the "Boo!" scare-book. From noise shocks to near-silent ramped up the tension. He plays with light and shadows to give you a nice scary atmosphere. This is something I've missed.
Added to this, great performances from the cast, especially the kids as they truly make you believe they are being terrorised by an evil spirit. The section in the bedroom, where Christine (Joey King) is pulled from the bed and then warns her sister that he's behind her is the constant to this. These two performances, along with Wan's direction that make you believe there may be something in the deep shadows.
All of this had me hooked right from the moment I hit the play button.
Should you want a good scare and a film that will stay with you for a while, then this is the movie for you.