Review of The Conjuring

James Wan's The Conjuring is one of the creepiest and most adult horror films to hit the screen in quite some time. In spite of the R rating, this movie relies more on dread and suspense than gore and a high body count. It's the antithesis of the Saw series, whose excellent first installment Wan directed before the series veered off into much-talked-about "torture porn" territory. Only on very rare occasions can a horror film be labeled "scary" in today's climate; audiences are too accustomed to all the tricks of the trade; they're more likely to laugh than shriek (look no further than the re-release of The Exorcist a decade ago to understand this phenomenon). But when one like The Conjuring comes along and earns its stripes, it's worth singling out.

The "based on a true story" label needs to be taken with a grain of salt. While the character names are a matter of historical record and there was indeed a paranormal investigation as well as an exorcism, there ends any common ground with reality. As soon as we're introduced to the husband-and-wife team of investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) circa 1971 New England, it's clear the movie is accepting ghosts and demons as real and running with it. These two commonly find rational explanations for seemingly "haunted" houses, but every now and then, a priest is needed to perform an exorcism.

The Conjuring asks patience of viewers during its setup material as we're also introduced to the Perron family, including father Roger (Ron Livingston), mother Carolyn (Lili Taylor), and their five daughters. Something is amiss right away when the family moves into their supposed dream home: their dog refuses to go inside. Not long after, every clock in the house stops at 3:07 a.m. Add to that a myriad of occurrences including bumps in the night, Carolyn waking up with bruises, and the children seeing ghostly figures, and it's pretty clear help is needed. By the time the Warrens are called in to investigate, the supernatural forces have already gained the upper hand.

For any movie, let alone one in the horror genre, to work, it is absolutely necessary that we care about the characters and their fate. That's the case here. The Perrons act believably in each situation, and in case you're wondering why they don't just move out of the house ASAP, rest assured that the movie delivers a solid explanation as to why. Also largely absent are situations where characters do something stupid simply because the movie's screenplay requires them to. Often times in a movie like this, it's debatable whether a victimized character is a victim because of horror movie creatures or because of typical horror movie behavior. With the latter element thankfully MIA, the Perrons, especially Carolyn, are easy to root for.

Wan is a virtuoso at playing his audience. "Boo!" moments are present, but the timing isn't always what you expect. He delights in baiting viewers into thinking they know how a "jump" scene will play out, but he varies the payoff points throughout. He's also very fond of long, unbroken takes and the occasional unconventional angle. Both the unnerving score and CGI (carefully following the Jaws and Alien principle of slowly, gradually unveiling the villains) are used but not overused. And the movie is perfectly paced; scares and surprises mesh with narrative rather than existing just as standalone moments to jolt an audience.

By depicting the Warrens as cool, rational, and well-prepared, both through writing and through flawless acting by Wilson and Farmiga, The Conjuring easily gets them in our corner. These are smart, easily identifiable protagonists that just about anyone would gravitate toward in a crisis of supernatural proportions, and they're certainly not in their line of work just to make a quick buck. When watching and listening them explain the ins and outs of demonic hauntings and possessions, we believe them. Mention also must be made of Lili Taylor, who has effectively played a role like this before (in 1999's otherwise laughable The Haunting) and has no problem earning our sympathy here.

A funny thing happened during my advance screening of The Conjuring. Through the first half of the movie, plenty of viewers giggled and chattered during several scenes; behavior one would expect from any multiplex horror audience. But when the terror escalated and circumstances grew more dire for the characters, everyone shut up. That's a testament to how well Wan has structured and developed this movie and how it will resonate with fans. The finale burns with intensity without for even a moment turning toward self-parody, and the ending is emotionally satisfying. For horror fans, this is a must-see. But because it works so well in all the traditional ways a good movie should, I'll happily and strongly recommend it even to non-fans.

Rating: ***1/2 (out of ****)