The Conjuring: Movie Review

Director James Wan (‘Saw’, ‘Insidious’) treads through familiar territory with this week’s horror flick – ‘The Conjuring’. A family moves into a house in the suburbs… certain incidents occur… doors creak… clocks stop at 3:07 a.m. daily… the family realizes the house is haunted… there is a cellar… there is a little girl who can see a ghost… oh wait… there is an exorcism too… and well… it is based on a true incident like most so-called horror movies these days claim. So, does ‘The Conjuring’ spook you or is it just one of those horror flicks that release and go unnoticed?

Without spoiling the suspense let me give a brief idea about the story:

Year: 1971 – Ed and Lorainne Warren (played well by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) are renowned paranormal investigators who come to help the Perron Family – husband, wife and their five daughters. Ever since the family had moved into an old farmhouse in the suburbs, they have been experiencing strange occurrences. Their dog dies mysteriously… a daughter sleepwalks frequently… another daughter can see and talk to the ghost of a boy who lived there… the mother (played by Lili Taylor) has unexplainable bruises on her body… it all gets worse when she is locked in the cellar one night and a spirit attacks one of her daughters.

How Ed and Lorainne unravel the mystery behind these paranormal incidents and how the family is saved forms the crux of ‘The Conjuring’. Before the Amityville murders (already made and remade in movies), there was Harrisville. This is that story.

Most people and critics are of the opinion that it is most difficult to make a comedy. I disagree. I think it is the toughest job to make a good horror film and this may be a reason why you hardly get to watch something really scary in this genre.

‘The Conjuring’ has no blood or gore and is quite a terrifying throwback to the old-school horror. Good. So slow in building up the right atmosphere for the horror, even 112 minutes seem long but you don’t complain. The direction and cinematography are not top-notch but manage to take you back to the period and give you an insight on what must have transpired on the Perrons. There are scenes (though predictable) which will make you jump from your seat and this itself explains where James Wan succeeds. Background music in a horror movie is of utmost importance and it works really well here. Performances are good and it just adds up to the overall impact. Where the movie falters is the script – too predictable. Some crisp editing could have been done as well.

Watch it or not: Yes; if you enjoy scares without gore… and a must-watch for horror movie buffs!

My Verdict: At a time when good horror movies are very rare, ‘The Conjuring’ works well. The last film I enjoyed was the same director’s ‘Insidious’ and to some extent, ‘Mama’. Go… get spooked! Refrain from taking your kids along with you. They might never again play hide and clap!

• About the Author

About Abhirup Dhar

I don't watch movies... I live them! Let me introduce myself. Abhirup Dhar was born in Kolkata and is still being brought up in India. A banker by profession, he is filmy to the core and is passionate about reviewing movies and writing. He likes to live on his own… he likes to be blunt, sarcastic, famous, infamous, confident, over-confident, moody at times… he likes to be himself. He is imperfect because perfection is boring. His love for movies dates back to his childhood days when he studied in a boarding school. A three-month Winter Vacation every year… and he made sure he watched as many movies then. Parents thought it was a phase... he knew it was Passion and he knew it back then itself. The craziness to watch movies on the Big Screen began during the last two years of school when he literally bunked to town so that he could catch up with the new Hindi Movie releases. Some thought he was plain crazy. He confirmed it was Passion... yet again. The hard fact is that not always can you walk a path you are passionate about. You have expectations to fulfill and Life to be made. But Life gives you chances and you have to grab them. So... here is he... your friendly critic who will be giving you his Verdict every week so that you can decide which release is worth your moolah and which is not! See you at the Movies! Stay connected at Facebook and Twitter!