The Conjuring (2013): A Welcome Return To The Haunted House Tale

 ~Review by Marie Robinson

Ed and Lorraine Warren have become very famous (and probably pretty rich) because of their unconventional profession. They were a married team of paranormal researchers—Ed, who unfortunately passed away in 2006, was a demonologist, and Lorraine is a noted psychic. People know them most famously for their involvement in the Amityville haunting, but they have done presumably hundreds of other cases, some of which are very, very strange.

James Wan’s new film, The Conjuring, explores a case they did in 1971 in Rhode Island. It involves the Perron family who move into an old farmhouse and immediately begin experiencing very strange activity; the root of which is a mysterious boarded up cellar, still filled with a previous occupants belongings. When the Brady-esque family is finding it increasingly hard to be comfortable in their own home and have nowhere else to go, they call upon the dynamic psychic duo.

 This film has a shared perspective between the Perron family and the Warren family. We go into both households and get to know both families. The Warrens are reluctant to accept the Perron case because they want to spend more time as a family and focus more on their young daughter. Ed and Lorraine were also going to take an opportunity to take a break from investigating, as each case wears on Lorraine mentally.
However, it doesn’t take much pleading from the Perrons’ to convince the Warrens to help them—and it is lucky for them that they did, because as it turns out this is no simple haunting, but something much darker.
The real-life Warrens have received a lot of criticism for being what they are. After all, demonology is an unaccredited, self-proclaimed title and any proof toward psychic abilities is, well… inconclusive. There is a lot of controversy surrounding the Amityville Horror case because many believe that it was all fabricated and that the tragedy that occurred there was exploited for fame and money.

Whatever you believe, interviews with the Warrens will show that they seem to be earnest, good-hearted people with a genuine desire to help. Patrick Wilson (Insidious) and Vera Farminga (Orphan) do a fabulous job portraying the Warrens. Farminga did have the advantage of getting to know the real Lorraine Warren, as she was very involved in the filming. She even has a cameo a lecture hall scene! If you are one of those people who don’t favor the Warrens you probably will not like The Conjuring as it is very much about them and serves almost as a tribute.

My opinion is that James Wan makes a damn good horror movie. I loved the first Saw, enjoyed the hell out of Dead Silence, I adore Insidious and I certainly enjoyed The Conjuring. I feel that us horror fans are very lucky to have a director like this in the genre. He not only “gets” horror but he seems to really care about what he is doing. And although he is pumping them out rather quick, so far I don’t feel that he has sacrificed quality. He seems to be developing a few favorites, such as actor Patrick Wilson and composer Joseph Bishara, who has done the score for Insidious and also provided the music for The Conjuring (damn good music, too).

Ed and Lorraine Warren

The Conjuring is a thickly atmospheric film with some seriously scary moments done well. It might not bring anything new to the table—nearly the opposite, but I like that.
It is a throwback to classic haunted house films like The Haunting or even The Amityville Horror. It is a good, fun film that will raise the hairs on the back of your neck and probably coax a few giggles out of you, too. Sometimes it is nice to just grab a friend that you can share a bag of popcorn with, dig your nails into and enjoy juicin’ up on some good old-fashioned nightmare fuel.

Fun fact: The Conjuring’s scenes were shot in sequential order!

The Conjuring is now in theatres but save some excitement for James Wan’s next film, Insidious Chapter 2, out this September!