Monday, July 1, 2013

The Conjuring Review

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."