Rated
R (Sequences of Disturbing Violence and Terror)
Running
Time: 1 Hour & 52 Minutes
Cast-
Patrick
Wilson-Ed Warren
Vera
Farmiga-Lorraine Warren
Lili
Taylor-Carolyn Perron
Ron
Livingston-Roger Perron
Shanley
Caswell-Andrea Perron
Hayley
McFarland-Nancy Perron
Joey
King-Christine Perron
Mackenzie
Foy-Cindy Perron
Kyla
Deaver-April Perron
Sterling
Jerins-Judy Warren
John
Brotherton-Brad Hamilton
Shannon
Kook-Drew Thomas
Joseph
Bishara-Bathsheba
Directed
by James Wan
 |
| This isn't going to end well... |
Note: Screened on Tuesday, June 25, 2013 at AMC Empire 25.
The
goal of a comedy film is to make the audience laugh but that's easier said than
done since humor is often subjective. What is funny to one person might have another
frowning in disgust. Similarly, a horror film tries to frighten the audience but
once again, reactions will differ from person to person. To leave a person truly
terrified, you need someone who knows how to tap into our deepest and darkest
fears. Enter James Wan. The Malaysian-born Australian director made a big splash
in 2004 with his feature-length debut "Saw," which launched the so-called
'torture porn' subgenre (although Wan and his frequent collaborator Leigh Whannell
eschew using such a label). Shot over a period of eighteen days on a measly production
budget of $1.2 million, the film become a surprise box office success, earning
$103 million worldwide and spawning one of the most lucrative horror franchises
of all time. Wan's involvement with the "Saw" series pretty much ended
with the first film. Sure, he had some input on the sequels and remained as
executive producer with Whannell for all six follow-ups but it was in name
only. He instead continued to hone his craft with 2007's "Dead
Silence" and "Death Sentence" yet it was clear that Wan was
still struggling to find his voice as both films received negative reviews and
faded into relative obscurity. He returned to the big screen after a four-year absence
with 2011's "Insidious," which finally served as proof that Wan wasn't
a one-trick pony. 2013 is shaping up to be a big year for the horror director,
with "Insidious Chapter 2" already set for a September release but
first Wan is scaring up the summer audience with "The Conjuring," his
most refined film to date. It doesn't redefine the classic haunted house subgenre
but "The Conjuring" benefits from being well-made, well-acted, and is
downright tense and terrifying once the sh*t starts hitting the fan.
In
1971, Roger Perron (Ron Livingston) and his wife Carolyn (Lili Taylor) move
into their dream home in Harrisville, Rhode Island with their five daughters: Andrea,
Nancy, Christine, Cindy, and April (Shanley Caswell, Hayley McFarland, Joey King,
Mackenzie Foy, and Kyla Deaver). When one of their daughters accidentally discovers
a boarded-up cellar while playing a game of 'hide-and-clap,' strange occurrences
begin to plague the Perron family. Carolyn wakes up each morning with odd bruises
on her body while the children complain of foul odors and an unseen 'presence'
tugging at them in their sleep. The clocks around the house also stop ticking
once they reach 3:07 AM. After a traumatizing episode involving Christine, Carolyn
becomes convinced that whatever is happening to them must be supernatural and
seeks out famed paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson
and Vera Farmiga) for help. Still recovering from a particularly troubling case,
the Warrens reluctantly decide to investigate and come face-to-face with a demonic
entity that will test them both physically and emotionally.
Highly
polished and confidently made, "The Conjuring" (based on the 'true' case
files from the Warrens) isn't a game-changer as far as haunted house films go but
the devil is in the details as they say, and it is in those details that Wan separates
himself from similar genre fare. The film starts off with a brief prologue
where Ed and Lorraine Warren are interviewing three college roommates who have
come to believe that their doll, named Annabelle, is now possessed by a malevolent
spirit. With the exception of one scene, this sequence doesn't really have anything
to do with the main plot but boy, is it creepy. Not even five minutes in and my
arms are already tensing up and my hands are gripping the armrests on my seat!
What follows after the opening credits is pretty standard stuff as the Perron family
happily enjoys their first day at their new home, which is of course out in the
middle of nowhere. Usually, the story takes these early scenes to provide some
rudimentary character development but it's immediately clear that something
isn't quite right as the family dog refuses to even step inside the house. The paranormal
phenomena that will haunt the Perrons officially kick-off when one of the girls
discovers a hidden cellar during a game of 'hide-and-clap.' I love the way Wan plays
with our expectations. When Carolyn wakes up the very next morning and finds
her husband missing, we immediately suspect the worse but Roger is actually
fine; he's just down in the cellar cleaning the place up. There's never a dull
moment in the film as something frightening is always taking place. One of the
most effective scenes involves Carolyn playing a game of hide-and-clap with her
youngest daughter April and you're sitting there silently telling her to not go
into closet. Unfortunately, she's blindfolded so she can't help herself. Wan
shows a lot of restraint and one trick he utilizes is having one character see
something in the darkness that leaves them paralyzed with fear. It allows us to
fill in the blanks using our imagination and creates a much more potent scare rather
than taking the easy way out by spoiling the mystery.
What
puts "The Conjuring" a step above the rest is how all these occurrences
affect the entire family. Too many horror films are spent with characters wondering
if what's happening to them is real or not but here, the evil force is indiscriminate
in its attacks, which adds a sense of legitimacy to the threat. This absolves
the Perrons from committing any foolish actions (the writers even provide a rationale
for not leaving the house). In fact, Carolyn is the one who seeks out the Warrens.
When Lorraine meets the rest of the family and sees what the Perrons are going
through, you sympathize with them because after all, this is just a simple family
trying to make their American Dream come true. The climax is a real doozy and I
was hoping against all odds for these people to survive because you care and that's an increasingly rare quality
for horror films today. Special attention must also be paid to Julie Berghoff's
production design and the set decoration from Sophie Neudorfer. Combined with John
R. Leonetti's rich cinematography and Kristin M. Burke's costumes, the film looks
like it was released straight out of the 1970's, which works in Wan's favor as
he pays homage to classics that include "Poltergeist" and of course,
"The Exorcist."
Most
horror films aren't overly concerned with acting but in order to sell the situation
as 'real,' you need convincing performances. Fortunately, "The Conjuring"
has this in spades. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga make for an appealing pair,
exhibiting a sense of warmth and sensitivity as the real-life Warrens. You get
the sense that these are people who genuinely want to help others and believe
in the work that they're doing. The cast that makes up the Perron family are great
as well but the standout is by far Lili Taylor. Her character is the one that suffers
the most and the actress is pretty much put through the wringer, especially during
the climax. Adding some levity is John Brotherton and Shannon Kook, who play a police
officer and a college student that aids the Warrens.
"The
Conjuring" won't be released until July 19, 2013 but initial reviews seem
to be positive so far with 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics aren't exactly kind
to horror films so that number is likely to drop to at least the mid-60s at
worst, 70s at best when the release date rolls around. Although I love a good
horror film, watching them with an audience isn't always an enjoyable
experience. You always get these rude people who feel compelled to comment on
everything that's happening on-screen. Thankfully, it wasn't too bad at last
Tuesday's advance screening but you still got people who couldn't keep their
damn mouths shut. Box office wise, it should have no problem turning a profit
considering its production budget was only a mere $13 million. As an
old-fashioned haunted house flick, "The Conjuring" delivers the goods
in spades and I'm not afraid of admitting that I didn't sleep too well after
seeing the film!
Final
Rating: 4 out of 5
"You
have a lot of spirits in here but there's one that I'm most worried about,
because it is so hateful."
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