The Conjuring

Rating: 7/10 (12 August 2013)

James Wan's penultimate film before leaving his horror roots to direct Fast and Furious 7, The Conjuring (notably based from a true story) is a take on a typical ghost story that manages to be both unnervingly familiar and yet surprising and ultimately satisfying.
The plot surrounds two 'Ghostbusters' Ed and Lorraine Warren who are requested to investigate the Perron family's new home in which various supernatural activity has been taking place. The film echoes many aspects from similarly themed films; a dog that will not enter the house, noises from under beds, birds that slam into the exterior of the house (something that we saw only months ago in the vastly inferior 'Dark Skies'). This bird-suicide sequence feels oddly out of place, perhaps due to the unconvincing CGI that depletes the sense of genuine fear throughout the characters.
However; Wan's influence manages to combine the remaining aspects to keep the film from feeling anything but stale. Played completely straight, the film feels like a classic horror flick, which undoubtedly can be partly down to the excellent performances from the cast, especially from Patrick Wilson as Ed. The production design of the house is as effective as the performances inside of it, contributing to some of the most terrifying and intense moments of the film, including a figure immersed in darkness looming behind a door, and a game of 'hide- clap-and-seek'.
John R. Leonetti's cinematography is again excellent, especially within the prologue and climax of the film which enhance the film's beauty while revelling in its ugliness. Had it not been for the sequel to Insidious in the pipeline, James Wan would have left the horror genre with an immensely haunting piece of work.
Verdict: 4/5