{"id":46372,"date":"2013-07-19T10:42:27","date_gmt":"2013-07-19T09:42:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/?p=46372"},"modified":"2013-07-19T10:42:27","modified_gmt":"2013-07-19T09:42:27","slug":"the-conjuring-film-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/reviews\/the-conjuring-film-review\/","title":{"rendered":"The Conjuring film review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Given how successful his films have been, it\u2019s surprising that James Wan doesn\u2019t have a better critical reputation. Together with writer Leigh Whannell, he created the Saw<\/em> franchise but kept away from the sequels. After the admittedly lukewarm reception to Dead Silence<\/em> and Death Sentence<\/em>, the two made another splash with Insidious<\/em>. Insidious: Chapter 2<\/em> is released in September, and Wan has briefly gone solo for this 1970s-set ghost train.<\/p>\n

Christine and Roger Perron (Lili Taylor and Ron Livingston) move with their five daughters to a large country property. When they investigate the boarded-up basement they unleash an aggressive supernatural force that terrorises the family. The beleagured parents call on demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) to help them cast the evil spirits out.<\/p>\n

Although The Conjuring<\/em> bears more than a passing similarity to Insidious, Wan fills the film with little touches that make it stand apart. His previous work has shown an inclination to hop around subgenres, and if Dead Silence<\/em> was his Hammer homage and Insidious was a tribute to 80s haunted house films like Poltergeist<\/em> (and nearly every other horror film from that era, to be fair), The Conjuring<\/em> is his love letter to the 1970s. From the soundtrack to the zooms to the lovely yellow opening titles, it luxuriates in its time period but packs enough visual fireworks to keep customers who haven\u2019t seen The Amityville Horror<\/em> happy.<\/p>\n

Wan has also always been able to attract a strong cast and The Conjuring<\/em> is no exception. Livingston and the perenially excellent Taylor have played put-upon characters in the past, and they\u2019re excellent as the couple attempting to keep their family calm as the paintings fly off the walls and the girls are pulled from their beds. The family unit is further strengthened by good peformances from the young actors playing their daughters, particularly Joey King (Oz The Great and Powerful<\/em>) and Shanley Caswell (star of the fantastic Detention<\/em>).<\/p>\n

The Warrens are real-life demonologists who investigated Amityville and the script is based on one of their cases. Taking that with the recommended forklift of salt, it\u2019s interesting to compare Ed and Lorraine with the Perrons. From the sharp costumes and Wilson and Farmiga\u2019s assured performances, they could just as easily be door to door hucksters. Ed has the style and the confidence of a snake-oil salesman, while Lorraine\u2019s fragility hides a steely determination.<\/p>\n

But, this being a \u201ctrue story\u201d based on their account, something supernatural is definitely afoot. After an extremely creepy opening sequence, Wan slows things right down and makes us wait for the inevitable big jumps (and they are big). The period setting also allows for some endearingly primitive ghost hunting tools: photos have to be developed and a UV light is so impressive it draws a \u201cgroovy\u201d from a Perron child.<\/p>\n

On the downside, the \u201ctrue story\u201d aspect means that things don\u2019t ever get too dark and each twist and turn is well signposted. It\u2019s also more than a little saccharine, with a few moments that may well draw a groan from the more cynical members of the audience. But when Wan winds The Conjuring<\/em> up and lets it go, it\u2019s great fun. There is a discernible formula but it\u2019s one he\u2019s finely honed: scaring the daylights out of an excellent cast. He\u2019s not a director who\u2019s afraid of going big and while that sometimes makes it less scary, it has no effect on the overall entertainment levels. This is tense, scary, very well acted, and it will make you jump out of your seat at least once. The Conjuring<\/em> is another very well-designed funhouse horror from an increasingly assured craftsman.<\/p>\n

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