James Wan Takes Things Old School

Rating: 8/10 (17 July 2013)

"The Conjuring" is a film that knows it's scary. Right from the start, the orchestra plays violently in the background while the ominous logos of WB and New Line appear on screen, much like the opening of "Insidious." So are the filmmakers cocky or confident? With a film this well made, does it even matter? One thing I know for sure is this: "The Conjuring" is one of the most impressive horror films I've seen in awhile.
With his directorial debut of "Saw" back in 2004, James Wan has since improved as a filmmaker, although faltering from "Dead Silence" and "Death Sentence." "Insidious" was a noticeable improvement, but darn the second half of that film. Now, with "The Conjuring," it seems like Wan has found his sweet spot, even though it does embark on familiar territory with "Insidious" and other horror films made in the past like "The Exorcist" and "The Amityville Horror." The similarities the film shares with "Insidious" is particularly apparent and slightly disappointing, from certain plot points and even down to some of its characters. However, unlike "Insidious," the film actually does get better in the second half. "The Conjuring" is also the most recent horror film in memory that puts a lot of attention to its characters. The film takes much effort to make the characters feel like people, not expendable pieces of meat to higher the body count.
For example, there are five daughters in this film, each with their different personalities, and you will be able to tell the difference between every one of them. By doing so, you truly care for the characters when they're in danger. It also helps that you have talented actors to play these roles, especially the female leads, Vera Farmiga and Lili Taylor. Farmiga plays a character who is empathetic with an emotionally wounded past, but that plot point is so understated that it brings a sort of dignity to her role. Taylor is equally as impressive, if not more so than Farmiga, as the motherly figure. In one very effective scene, she may bring a tear to your eye.
"The Conjuring" doesn't set out to do anything groundbreaking, but the familiar tricks it does, it does really well. While nothing new, what sets the film apart from most other horror films is the restraint. "Less is more" is the motto here, and some of the film's best scares are those where you see nothing. The way the story plays out is also very unexpected, with a structure that probably hasn't been done in other horror films before due to the ensemble cast (there are 11 people in the house at one point). It was a risky move to have such a large cast, but it worked out wonderfully. However, to play "The Conjuring" up as the "scariest movie ever" is silly and does the film injustice. Is the film scary? What's "scary" is subjective. I personally wouldn't get nightmares over it, but there are some great scares in here. Regardless, horror films rarely come as good and beautifully crafted as "The Conjuring," which is why it should be seen.