Before you watch The Conjuring, ask yourself one thing – are
you ready to be terrified beyond comprehension? If the answer is yes, then we
suggest you go ahead and watch… although you might also want to take someone to
hide behind. Just a suggestion.
The premise itself isn’t all that unique. A 1970s
picturesque family move to a house in the country and start experiencing
strange things – we know, so far, so typical horror movie. What makes this
particular movie so utterly chilling is some stand out performances, excellent
direction, a killer soundtrack, and… well, the scares.
No cheap tricks a la Paranormal Activity for The Conjuring.
Based on a true story, the happenings are chilling enough on their own without
the usual dropped heavy object or the bird in the fireplace – yes, Woman In
Black, we’re looking at you. When the fear comes, and comes in waves spaced
perfectly to allow you to almost relax in between, it comes wholeheartedly.
While of course there are some tropes that the film can’t
avoid – the angelic looking child with an imaginary friend, the obligatory hair
pulled by an invisible force scene, and the attempt to get rid of a possessed
object known to move by throwing it in the bin to name a few – there are enough
new twists and turns to make it something fresh.
Spanning nearly two hours, the film is a mastery of the slow
build to a crescendo which has everything coming to a head in true horror
fashion. That being said, the opening scenes are particularly noteworthy in the
genre for simply diving into the horror they’re depicting. For all they’ve been
used over and over, we’re pretty sure that possessed dolls are pretty much the
creepiest thing we’ve ever seen.
The cast, especially given the youth of some of the
actresses, do a stellar job of bringing the story to life. Patrick Wilson and
Vera Farmiga are particularly outstanding as the paranormal researchers Ed and
Lorraine Wilson, giving the movie a much welcomed comic relief at points and
true heart at others. Particular gems of Ed’s include ‘Sometimes it’s better to
keep the genie in the bottle,’ and our personal favourite, ‘When you get
haunted, it’s like stepping on gum.’
What can we say, the man’s not wrong.
Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’ll be building blanket forts
and hiding out among large groups of people until the terror passes.
