Director: James Wan

Starring: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Lili Taylor, Roger Perron, Joey King, Shannon Kook

Primary genre: Horror

Secondary genre: Supernatural

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After the success of “Insidious” (2011), James Wan directed “The Conjuring”, a flick inspired by the allegedly haunted house of the Perron family in Long Island during the 70’s. While its deal with the traditional haunted house theme does not offer anything new, the film’s plot is meticulously crafted without relying on conventional genre clichés focusing instead on a believable set of characters and circumstances.

Unlike most horror movies that lack any emotional anchors to pull us in, here we have two: one in the Warrens who are portrayed as genuinely kindhearted individuals with Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga sharing excellent chemistry and carrying the entire film on their shoulders with integrity and much grounded realism; and another in the Perron family which does not suffer from the child actor syndrome (Joey King in the film’s scariest moment is a standout) and earning our sympathy for their supernatural misfortune.

Avoiding the fatal blow that put down "Insidious" in its third act with excessive exposition, “The Conjuring” keeps our interest up with a rather intriguing (and albeit) ghost(?) story. The script manages to juggle quite a few characters nicely although half-way through a subplot involving the Warren's daughter feels distracting and an obvious excuse to extend the (already long) running time.

Having a bigger budget at his disposal, a more cohesive script and the magnificent cinematography of John R. Leonetti (“Mortal Kombat“ (1995), ”Soul Surfer” (2011), “Insidious“), Wan demonstrates impressive camerawork capturing one of the creepiest houses (kudos to the production design too) in recent memory, elevated him in the pantheon of other horror greats (e.g., Wes Craven, John Carpenter). A particularly effective prologue lays down the things to come favoring unsettling atmosphere instead of cheap jump scares. Taking cues from the slow burning tension of 70's horror films (e.g., “The Exorcist” (1973), “Jaws” (1975)), Wan employs the less-is-more approach and crafts some of the most memorable horror sequences of the last decade. While there are aplenty of gotcha! moments that subvert expectations, they are effectively used although as we approach the inevitable final confrontation, the jump scares get relentless and potentially tiresome.

Boasting an exceptional sound design distinguishes “The Conjuring” from the rest of c-rated horror garbage. An audible character in the film itself, from a loud bang to a wheezing sound, it makes the house feel alive and populated with inhuman presence at every corner. Accompanied by the cacophonic score of Joseph Bishara with the genius choice of utilizing Avant-Garde vocals, “The Conjuring” punches above its weight and aims to be taken seriously as a movie.

“The Conjuring” does not really bring anything new in the table. Yet, what it lacks in originality, it makes up for it with believable characters, strong performances, an unsettling atmosphere and some excellently crafted scares combined with an effectively cacophonous score and outstanding sound design. A must-see for horror fans.

+Sound and production design

+Unsettling avant-garde music

+Wilson’s & Farmiga’s chemistry

+Believable cast

+70's inspired cinematography

+Less is more approach

+Exquisite camera work

-Anemic subplot and finale