The Conjuring conjures fear

Rating: 7/10 (1 November 2015)

The Conjuring manages to be terrifying without being gory, which I suppose could be considered a feat, given the irredeemable amount of bloody body parts we have to put up with in today's horror films. I make it a rule to avoid horror movies in general, not only because I get frightened easily, but because horror films too often sacrifice important narrative and technical elements, including character, emotion, style, and coherence in favour of cheap thrills (often fuelled by gratuitous violence) that serve no purpose other than to keep you up at night, fearing that whatever was in the film is inexplicably standing at the foot of your bed. The Conjuring borders precariously on this edge between a solid film and a pointless, incoherent scarefest. However, a few neat scenes, a thrilling conclusion, and a surprising effectiveness without resorting to gore save it from succumbing to the tropes of its miserably empty genre.
The Conjuring revolves around a threatening demonic presence due to numerous deaths on a section of land that once belonged to a witch. A family of seven (five girls) moves into this house. It follows standard haunted-house film structure, as seemingly inconspicuous events (birds flying into the windows, death of the dog, doors creaking, mother waking up with bruises, etc.), eventually lead to more and more terrifying events. The buildup is done quite well, evoking simple fright, each jump scare or sinister occurrence building upon the last. There is one especially terrifying scene where the mother is lured into the cobweb-filled basement, and the most thrillingly simple, yet petrifying happening occurs, demonstrating that she is not alone in the dark, silent basement. I, for one, was scared out of my mind.
Eventually, the family is forced to call upon "demonologists" Ed and Lorraine Warren, who arrive at the house with an assistant and a police officer, setting up a paranormal monitoring network that is very, almost too reminiscent of the one in Poltergeist. Lorraine, who is a clairvoyant, begins to unearth the house's dark secrets, slowly piecing together the puzzle as the supernatural presence becomes more and more threatening, not just to the family, but eventually extending to the Warrens as well, introducing an unexpected, yet highly appreciated risk factor.
The Conjuring is fun, if your idea of fun is revelling in gleeful fright. It has enough jump scares (some of which are admittedly awesome) and suspenseful moments to keep your eyes fixed towards the screen, anticipating, yet dreading what is going to happen next. The execution is slick, and the story, while borrowing from other horror films, manages to be unpredictable and fun. The dialogue, however, is quite often lacking in substance, relying on basic verbal clichés that occasionally make no sense given the circumstances. There is way too much on random Satanic based information and bits about the power of God. Also, the film has a difficult time establishing the mood, as it bounds haplessly from serenity to dread, often for no reason at all. But what eventually separates the film from other entries in the genre is its thrilling and surprisingly emotional ending, which includes a ridiculously awesome line, and an even more ridiculously awesome monster reveal. And of course, the ambiguous ending. I hate ambiguous endings.
But what is extremely irksome about The Conjuring, is its refusal to set rules that make even the slightest bit of sense. We are left in the dark (so to speak) as to the abilities of the ghosts, the intentions of some of the ghosts, and their allegiances are so frantic and unspecified, that it is thoroughly impossible to understand why the heck everything is happening the way it is.
For example: Ghosts have telekinesis. Everyone knows that. So why (if the ghost's intention was truly to kill everyone) not use your obvious telekinetic powers to chuck a knife into someone's head WHILE THEY'RE SLEEPING? This is one of many galling plot holes that haunt the film .
The Conjuring has to be the most frightening film that I have ever seen, but that does not in and of itself make it a good movie, because it is fraught with plot holes and poor dialogue. What makes it a good film (and saves it from its genre) is its glorious simplicity, its ability to elicit fear without resorting to gore, and its awesome ending.