This is not a classic. But its good.

Rating: 7/10 (10 August 2013)

Let's face it – Making a horror film in 2013 is not an easy task – Horror fans are not easy to please, thus any new major horror release is condemned to be compared to the classics. Any slasher film that comes out gets compared to 'Halloween' (1974), Any new monster film gets compared to 'Godzilla' (1954), And along with 'The Conjuring', any new paranormal film gets deemed a poor attempt at making a new Exorcist or Shining. Its cruel, but forgivable. The philosophy behind it Is why should we settle for less than we already have. But every so often a film does come along that sets the horror community alight in a good way –Saw did it in 2004, Paranormal Activity did it in 2007, Let the right one in did it in 2008, and now in 2013, James Wan's latest horror outing has done it. When Wan brought out Insidious in 2011, it had to compete against the likes of Source code and Hop, neither one of them being particularity major contenders, and yet it only managed to make a little over $13 000 000 on its April opening weekend, going on to make just a few million shy of the $100 000 000 mark worldwide. The conjuring was originally slated for an early 2013 release, but after an unprecedented, acclaimed reception with test audiences, WB made the bold decision to move the release date back, into Q3,which in recent years has become a hotbed for superhero blockbusters and animated juggernauts; This was among the first horror films to be released in this month since The Omen in 2006. But it paid off, having the biggest opening for an original R-rated horror film ever – An R-rating, not because of profanity of sex, but because the MPAA felt it to be "too scary" - Grossing over $41 million over its opening weekend and only dropping 47% over its second weekend, which for a horror film is ridiculously impressive. So what is it about this film that makes it so different to the numerous paranormal activity sequels, last years The possession, Del Toro's MAMA from earlier this year or even Wan's own Insidious? Well, nothing really. After all the hype over this film, I was expecting well-rounded characters, an innovative approach to the ever-increasing banality of the possession formula and a shocking ending – instead I was subjected to one-dimensional cut-outs of actual real life people, and nothing of much shock or surprise. Quite frankly I was disappointed. I only found myself marginally creeped out at two points, both which took place in the basement, and I only found myself jumping once, again, during the basement scene. The acting was brilliant, especially by the young girls, but the dialogue they had to contend with was nothing shy of weak. The music was affective but had nothing much to affect. It was only the camera work of Wan and his collaborative cinematographer John R. Leonetti (Dead Silence, Child's Play 3, Indiseous) which gave the film any stand-alone quality from the sun-genre that it so carefully played into. The consistent fluidity of the camera, mounted on a trolley and/or crane at all times was unsettling and did create heightened intensity, only to be undone by a lack of happenings on the screen. To any one who has seen this and is currently labelling me as unpleasable, i would just like to say that this is the best horror film of the year so far, but its not an instant classic. Ghosts that latch onto the kids, paranormal investigators with a shady and conflicted past, a dog that refuses to go into the house, a member of local law enforcement getting involved, an exorcism that looks only angers the evil spirit, come on! Its been done to death! The only refreshing points of this film was the lack of sex and lack of death, but that and that alone is not enough to make an "instant classic" as so many people are calling it. It is still in thousands of cinemas worldwide, has currently grossed over $140 000 000 and has already been commissioned for a sequel. Yawn. I just hope James Wan doesn't direct it. Having been involved with two of the Saw sequels, having just made Indiseous 2, sitting in the directors chair for Fast 7, if he returns for this sequel as well, it could spell the end for a once promising innovative career that never really got going. 6.5/10...