Horror by the numbers

Rating: 6/10 (3 August 2013)

Saw The Conjuring last night. It's a movie I've looked forward to for some time. I was somewhat familiar with Ed and Lorraine Warren and the IMDb reviews on the film have been superb. So...does it live up to expectation? Well that depends entirely on what your expectations are...if you are hoping for an Amityville Horror, Haunting in Connecticut, Poltergiest, straight up, bump in the night, haunted house movie...then you wont be disappointed. It certainly deserves it's place on that top ten list. If however, you like horror movies that drag you into the dark rather than using it as a cover for spooks, those psychological gems such as The Exorcist, Silence of the Lambs, The Omen, then The Conjuring will disappoint greatly. If you look back on The Exorcist...it would be hard to imagine anyone replacing Jason Miller as Damian Karras and that's because we understood him so well that Miller WAS Karras. The same could be said for Max Von Sydow as Fr Merrin or Ellen Burstyn as Chris McNeill and even Lee J Cobb as Bill Kinderman. We even got under the surface of Pazuzu, the demon.
Demon: What an excellent day for an exorcism. Father Damien Karras: You would like that? Demon: Intensely. Father Damien Karras: But wouldn't that drive you out of Regan? Demon: It would bring us together. Father Damien Karras: You and Regan? Demon: You and us.
Demon: Mirabile dictu, don't you agree? Father Damien Karras: You speak Latin? Demon: Ego te absolvo. Father Damien Karras: Quod nomen mihi est? Demon: Bon Jour. Father Damien Karras: Quod nomen mihi est? Demon:La plume de ma tante.
The Conjuring also deals with issues of possession and the manipulation of a child, but this spirit isn't Captain Howdie and this movie isn't The Exorcist (1973)...or The Omen (1976) or The Changeling (1980) and therein lies the problem. In the 70s, it wasn't the kiss of death to make a horror movie with an 18 cert and evil could be examined as a study. Now, it's one bloody puke and you're a slave of Satan....one touching memory later and you're free from his shackles. Horror by the numbers. When audiences first sat through The Exorcist, they wanted to run from the cinema and splash their face in holy water...the only time I was on the edge of my seat during The Conjuring was when I contemplated popping out for a coffee. Along with The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Possessed, The Rite and three decades of drivel, this was another opportunity wasted. William Friedkin/William Peter Blatty where the hell are you???