The Conjuring [Blu-ray] [2013]

The key with The Conjuring is not that it has freshness on its side, as evidenced by the ream of horror fans arguing on internet sites about "nothing new on the table" , but while those fans will be going hungry for a very, very long time, The Conjuring does everything right for the splinter of horror it deals with.There's a lot to admire about a horror film that in this day and age stands tall and proud against the ream of remakes, sequels and teen friendly slashers that "haunt" the multiplexes with all too much frequency these days. Free of gore and sex, this was automatically going to alienate a good portion of the lustful members of the horror fan base, but for those who like their horror served with appetising scares and a cauldron of suspense, then this delivers plenty to your particular table.Forget the "based on a true story" tag, since it's kind of irrelevant in this new technological age, it's a selling gimmick that actually means "this story might be true and we might have played with it a bit". Regardless of hoax charges and embellishments, just buy into the premise, commit to it as a scary story in the same way as director James Wan has, for then the rewards are there for the compliant.Story essentially is based around an investigation in the early seventies by paranormal specialists Ed and Lorraine Warren, who aided the Perron family as they were victims of dreadful supernatural events at their Rhode Island home. Wan builds it deftly, letting us into the Perron families lives as they move into what they believe to be a dream home. Then things start to happen, but again Wan builds it in slow instances, creating a palpable sense of dread, his camera work intelligent. So when the big moments come they have maximum impact and have us also yearning for the Warren's to get involved.There is no over killing of the boo-jump scares, they are placed with care and marry up superbly with the mounting tension. Naturally all the cliché conventions of the haunted house movie are here, strange smells, creaky doors, ominous cellar and etc, yet these are supplemented with Wan's talented knack for a good scare and a very effective production design. From mysterious bruises and literal leg pulls - breath holding games of hide and seek - to bona fide pant soiling moments, The Conjuring is a lesson in sustained unease until the big finale is unleashed.The script is devoid of cheese and pointless filler, itself refreshing in a horror sub-genre that suffers often with these problems. Joseph Bishara's musical score is an absolute nerve shredder, and again it's a refreshing accompaniment because it doesn't resort to telegraphed shrieks to tell us to be afraid, it never overwhelms a scene. John Leonetti's cinematography has Gothic textures, both in the house and outside of the lakeside farmhouse, while the strong lead cast of Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Lili Taylor and Ron Livingston come up trumps for sure.Met with critical and box office success, The Conjuring justifies its reputation as a superb haunted house movie. 9/10

You know, I was quite worried that this would be another silly teenager scary movie with stabbings and the usual cheap stupid scares like cats and mirror tricks. I have seen countless haunted house movies over many hears, including a haunting TV show. It is extremely hard to unsettle me and I was truly afraid watching this, on a sunny day drinking cans too. I Left this one for last because I had a feeling it would be the type of movie that would get under my skin and stay there for a while after I was done watching it. I was right.Remember all those times you watched horror movies and saw the camera slowly moving towards a dark place of a room and you just KNOW something is in there and going to jump out but you don't know when. This movie has you feeling like that a lot and it leaves you in that place to suffer through it. it is obvious that this family is under attack but you just don't know how it is going to go down. I loved the clapping part it really had my on the edge and reminded me of the orphanage clapping game. You cant help but recoil with tension when you see everything unfolding.Mr Wan I bow down to you, your formula is pitch perfect and should be respected. I had my hands up to my face for some of this, I felt like such a little girl. Its strange because I have seen movies like this so many times. This is textbook how things like this happen, there are so many stories out there where people start to experience certain things just before this happens ect ect. Even though I am familiar with the "routine" of horror movies it still scared me. It scared me a lot.I am a huge fan of the Warrens and felt their characters were played respectfully. There are some really good extras about them in the bonus section that is well worth a watch. I was afraid that they might dishonour the couple but they didn't. Lorraine is such a wonderful person.Everything was done properly and they didn't pour cheapness into it. This is not a typical teenager movie and certainly deserves a chance.This is a good scary movie but some might find it too much so it would be a good idea to know what scares you before you end up with nightmares.

Warning this review contains spoilers. This is an amazing horror film, nowadays with films like paranormal activity cashing in every year, films like this are few and far between. Based on the alleged true story based on the case by ed and lorraine warren, this tells the story of an ordinary family ( based also on the real life perrons) haunted by one the most manevolant spirits iv ever seen in film. This spirits intention is to posess the mother to kill her own children. You learn more as the movie goes about this spirit and how it came to be, and needless to say it is truly chilling. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are fantastic in their potrayals of Ed and Lorraine Warren, and the rest of the cast are equally as brilliant, and the actress who plays Carolyn Perron ( sorry cant remember her name off the top of my head) does an amazing job as the possessed mother. She is terrifying in her possesed state. This film got glowing critical reviews and immense commercial success and its easy to see why. This is easily one the best modern horror films. With this and insidious, James Wan is impressing me big time!