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"The Conjuring" is a film that does not exactly reinvent the wheel when it comes
to cinematic depictions of haunted houses, demonic possessions and other forms
of big-screen paranormal activity. However, it more than makes up for what it
lacks in originality in terms of sheer storytelling skill. This is a film that
takes some of the oldest clichés imaginable and infuses them with such energy
that it actually pulls off the seemingly impossible task of breathing new life
into the material. The end result is not just one of the few genuinely
worthwhile films of an otherwise lackluster summer, it is one of the most
effective movies of its type to come along in quite a while.
Based on a true story, we are assured, "The Conjuring" tells the tale of the
Perron family--dad Roger (Ron Livingston), mom Carolyn (Lili Taylor) and five
young daughters--and the horrifying events that occurred after moving into a
rambling lakeside farmhouse in a remote part of Rhode Island in 1971. The family
has hardly begun to unpack when strange things begin happening to them--on their
very first night, the youngest daughter comes across a mysterious old music box
in the backyard, there is an awful smell that seems to be moving from room to
room and when the morning comes, their dog--who flat-out refused to enter the
house at all--is found dead in the yard. From there, things get exponentially
worse as Carolyn develops a series of mysterious bruises all over her body, all
the clocks stop at 3:07 AM every morning and the family photos hung on the wall
are all knocked down at once. A round of hide-and-clap (imagine Marco Polo sans
the water) takes on a terrifying new dimension as the participants go about it
without quite realizing that someone. . .something. . .has joined in the game
with their knowledge. By the time the girls are getting yanked awake in the
middle of the night and Carolyn is lured into the newly uncovered cellar and
trapped, it becomes clear that the house may not have been quite the bargain
that it once appeared to be.
With nowhere else to go, Carolyn turns to Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson
and Vera Farmiga), a married pair of demonologists with a room in their home
stuffed with haunted relics from earlier investigations into the paranormal--one
of which is glimpsed initially during the creepy prologue and then makes an
unexpected return at a particularly inopportune point in the proceedings. Most
of the time, Ed and Lorraine find themselves dispelling myths about the occult
but it only takes a few moments inside the Perron house to realize that there is
something very wrong with the place--clairvoyant Lorraine in particular sees
hideous visions virtually everywhere she turns. With the aid of a research
assistant (Shannon Kook) and a local cop (John Brotherton), the Warrens set up
shop with the Perrons in order to gather enough evidence to get the Vatican to
authorize an exorcism of the house. During this time, however, the attacks
become more frequent and violent and after making some discoveries about the
sordid history of the house and its previous occupants, the Warrens finally
realize what their ultimate goal is and are forced to take matters into their
own hands before it is too late.
On the surface, "The Conjuring" may sound like little more than an amalgam of
previous films of the genre as "The Exorcist," "The Amityville Horror" and
"Poltergeist." However, while the basic elements may be familiar, the film pulls
off the seemingly impossible task of making
them seem fresh again. For starters, while most films of this type tend to
feature weak screenplays that consist of little more than big shock scenes
tenuously lashed together with cheese-ball exposition, trite dialog and
characters who are forced to act lobotomized throughout in order to get from
story point to story point, the script offered up here by Chad & Carey W. Hayes
is a smartly conceived work that avoids the usual pitfalls of the genre. It
takes the time to give all the characters distinct personalities so that when
all hell breaks loose, we actually have a rooting interest in them. Another
interesting thing is the way that religious beliefs of the Warrens are deployed
into the storyline--although most films of this type use religion as a prop,
this one, without being heavy handed, actually takes it seriously and this
aspect serves to enhance both those characters and the story as a whole.
"The Conjuring" was directed by James Wan, who made his debut with the original
"Saw" (the type of torture-porn horror film that I have no use for ) and whose
previous credit was another haunted family saga, the 2010 surprise hit
"Insidious." With this film Wan shows promise at utilizing all the various
tricks of his trade to manipulate and unnerve viewers at every turn without
relying on the kind of cheap and stupid shocks of the kind found in the dreadful
"Paranormal Activity" movies. He quietly but effectively pulls viewers into the
story so completely that they will quickly find themselves as unnerved as the
characters on the screen. He also avoids the trap of falling into a rut in
regards to the scare scenes by varying between long and expertly drawn-out
suspense set-pieces and brief but smartly executed "BOO!" moments in which the
mere sight of a pair of clapping hands sends popcorn flying into the air. What
is most impressive, especially considering how Wan helped inspire the odious
torture porn horror sub-genre with "Saw", is that the film is basically free of
blood and gore--it may have an "R" rating but that is almost entirely due to its
sheer intensity that Wan brings to the material and not because of anything
gruesome that it contains.
One of the biggest surprises of "The Conjuring" is how strong the performances
are. Under normal circumstances, the acting in a horror movie comes as an
afterthought as the actors tend to either be unknowns who have been cast largely
for how well they can scream and/or take off their clothes or over-the-hill
veterans slumming in exchange for some quick cash. Here, the actors are all top
notch and, more importantly, they approach the material with respect instead of
condescension--although the film may not necessarily be award-worthy material,
they treat it as seriously as if it were top-level Oscar bait. The two key
performances are the ones delivered by Vera Farmiga and Lili Taylor and both are
as good as can be in the way that they play smart, sensible and completely
recognizable people, even when they are screaming or dangling in the air,
instead of the walking clichés that women in horror movies are usually forced to
play. As their counterparts, WIlson (who has worked with Wan on "Insidious" and
the already-filmed "Insidious 2") and Livingston are quietly compelling as well
and there a number of equally good performances from the supporting actors who
manage to portray characters instead of clichés.
Smart and very entertaining, "The Conjuring" is (I can't believe it's me writing
this) easily the best major studio film of the summer and one of the finest
American horror films of recent vintage, the kind that is good enough to hook
even those who ordinarily have little use for the genre as a whole. It has
already been deemed an instant classic in some circles and while it might be a
tad early for such a designation, this is the kind of film that could warrant
it. That said, there is so much confidence that this will become the sleeper hit
of the summer that a sequel, presumably based on another on of the stories from
the Warrens' case films, has already been announced and if it lives up to
expectations, it could kick off a brand-new horror franchise. In most cases,
such a thing would be something to dread (Yes "Saw" and "Paranormal Activity".
I'm looking at you) but if those proposed continuations prove to be only half as
effective as "The Conjuring," it could be the best thing to happen to the genre
in a long time.
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