The Conjuring

Cast of Characters:
Lorraine Warren - Vera Farmiga
Ed Warren - Patrick Wilson
Roger Perron - Ron Livingston
Carolyn Perron - Lili Taylor

Director - James Wan
Screenplay - Chad Hayes & Carey W. Hayes
Rated R for sequences of disturbing violence and terror

      Academy Award nominee Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Ron Livingston and Lili Taylor star in Saw and Insidious director James Wan's The Conjuring. It's been getting rave reviews for how scary it is, but is it really?

      JUST LEAVE THE DAMN HOUSE ALREADY!!!! Based on real events and real people, The Conjuring takes place in the 1970's with Roger (Ron Livingston) and Carolyn Perron (Lili Taylor), along with their five children, moving into their new farmhouse in Harrisville, Rhode Island. It doesn't take long before creepy things start to happen. The family dog is killed. Mysterious knocks on the walls are heard, and of course, the youngest child seems to have made a new, imaginary friend. Or is he really all that imaginary? Seriously, just leave the house.

      Enter Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) and Ed Warren (Patrick Wilson), two paranormal investigators (or "kooks" as they jokingly refer to themselves at a class presentation) that have been asked by the Perron family to look into the disturbances occurring at their house. The Warrens conduct an initial investigation that leads them to believe the house may need an exorcism. For God's sakes, what the hell will it take to get you out of that house?

      As a filmmaker, James Wan has been on and off for me. On the one hand, Saw (despite the number of crappy, pointless sequels it spawned) was an entertainingly clever time for me. On the other hand, though, Dead Silence was just okay and Death Sentence was another bland, "I'm gonna avenge my son's death myself", Death Wish ripoff. Insidious is the one film of his I have not seen yet, but have heard arguments for and against it. Here Wan gets back on track with a terrifically haunting film that's sure to scare. You read up above all the little "get out of the house" jokes, and to its credit, that question is actually brought up to the Perron family. Along with the first rate performances by a uniformly talented cast, we also get some cleverly shot camera work, and at times some gorgeous cinematography. What I loved most about this film though is the reliance on genuine tension building scares instead of cliche jump scenes. I've always felt the jump scene is the horror film equivalent to a fart/poop joke in a comedy. It's just a cheap thrill. To be fair, this movie does throw in a jump scare every now and then, but more often than not the scares (like the clip posted above) are effective at creating a tense and suspenseful environment.

      Today, when horror films are more about how much they can up the ante in terms of blood and gore or how many jump thrills can be crammed into one scene, it is such a breath of fresh air to get a good ole fashioned ghost story. Like Mama earlier this year, this film knows it's gonna break a few horror cliches every now and then, but that doesn't deter it from its mission to scare you witless. A sequel has already been planned, and considering the Warrens obviously have done more than one investigation, this has the potential to be an effectively creepy film franchise without falling into "needless sequel" territory. I will gripe about the R rating. Seriously, come on. There's no sex/nudity, harsh language, and the blood and gore, if any, is minimal. I wouldn't take children to see this, but 12 on up seems okay if you wanna take your kids. Regardless of the rating, this is an entertaining time, and I myself had a blast watching it. I give The Conjuring an A- (★★★½).