Nothing particularly new or original, but I still found it to be an effective and engaging film for the most part

Rating: 7/10 (9 December 2013)

Based on a true story, The Conjuring follows husband and wife paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga). Carolyn Perron (Lili Taylor) approaches the couple in the hope that they will be able to determine what are behind the strange goings on in the family's home. Ed is sceptical at first and often believes that there is a rational explanation for the majority of these 'strange happenings' in people's houses (a scene earlier in the film demonstrates his point). However, once at the Perron family home, Ed and Lorraine quickly realise that there is a presence in the family home and must try to find a way of removing this presence;
The good news (at least as far as I was concerned) is that James Wan was directing this film. I always find with his films that he has a gift for creating tension. Everything in this film unfolds at an even pace so it neither feels rushed or drawn out. We begin to notice things one by one; the clocks all stopping at 3.07 am, doors seemingly being pushed open on their own, something pulling on one of the child's legs etc. There is always something happening, something to keep you watching.
For me, the biggest strength of this film is the way the suspense and tension is created. This is what I would describe as a 'psychological horror' - it is a film (much like his earlier film Insidious) that very much 'gets inside your head' and keeps you guessing. The very fact that we don't learn who the demon is or why they are terrorising the family till later in the film only helps to keep the viewer in suspense. This is why horror films of this nature work best; sometimes fear of the 'unknown' can be more terrifying than fear of the 'known'.
Wan's direction was also excellent and the way that the camera swoops around the house, coupled with the excellent score really made this a fairly scary and tense affair.
The acting for the most part was good and I was particularly impressed by the acting of some of the children in this film. The principal adult cast all put on fairly decent performances as well.
For me this was a really good film, but unfortunately I was unimpressed with the ending of the film. I need to be careful here as this is based on a true story so this may have actually happened, but here goes; There is a scene where Ed attempts to perform an Exorcism on Carolyn, but despite his best efforts he fails to 'Exorcise the demons'. But then minutes later, Lorraine puts her hand on Carolyn's head and then tells Carolyn to think of happy times. She tells Carolyn to remember the photo she showed her and to remember how she'd never let anything happen to her family. Then just like that, the demon leaves her body and she is then OK. What? So an exorcism doesn't work, but giving Carolyn a good talking to, whilst putting her hand on her head seemed to do the trick. If that's true, it's one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard of.
This was a very very good film and in all honesty, it's only let down slightly by a bit of a weak ending. It's definitely worth a look and is one of the better horror films that I've seen.