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| Courtesy IMDB.com |
For avid horror fans like myself, the last few years worth of films in this genre have been a disappointment. There have been plenty of movies with great potential, however, most fell flat or were poorly done remakes. Enter James Wan’s The Conjuring.
The film’s main focus is on Roger and Carolyn Perron and their five daughters. Soon after moving into their new home, a demonic entity begins its attack against the family. This prompts Carolyn to seek the help of paranormal researchers, Ed and Lorraine Warren. The Warrens take on the case, only to discover the sinister history of the land and what follows is the terrifying journey of all involved.
Set in 1971, everything from the equipment used to the costumes worn, was spot on. Not only was the film visually on point, but Wan sure knows how to set the tone. Most modern day horror movies are either about cramming in as many jump-scares as possible, or making it as gory as they can get away with.
While The Conjuring provides plenty of scares, none of them feel forced and the gore level is next to nothing. From start to finish, there’s a palpable tension. It builds to a certain point, then you’re hit with something incredibly creepy, but that tension never leaves, because you’re waiting for whatever comes next.
While the “based on a true story” gimmick generally makes people roll their eyes, this one is based off of a real case. The Warrens did in fact investigate the Perron home in the early 70s. The Perron family, who lived in the same home until 1980, and Lorraine Warren all gave the film their seal of approval, with Warren herself acting as a consultant.
In it’s opening weekend, The Conjuring brought in over $41 million dollars, making in number one at the box office. This is rare for a horror movie in general, let alone an R-rated movie fighting against big budget, popcorn flicks.
This past weekend at San Diego Comic Con, our pals over at Bloody Disgusting spoke with Vera Farmiga (Lorraine Warren) about the film and she revealed that she and Patrick Wilson (Ed Warren) will both be returning for The Conjuring 2. With weekend numbers like this, it honestly can’t surprise anyone that Warner Bros. gave the green light for a sequel!
Being a bit of a horror snob, I can honestly think of nothing negative to say about this film. I am incredibly thankful to Wan and the cast/crew of The Conjuring for finally making a new horror film that I can highly recommend people to go see. If you’re looking for a truly scary movie to go see, this is absolutely what you’re looking for.