“Diabolical forces are formidable. These forces are eternal, and they exist today. The fairy tale is true. The devil exists. God exists. And for us, as people, our very destiny hinges upon which one we elect to follow.” - Ed Warren
A lot has been said about Jordan Peele being the best horror director working today. As a fan of Get Out, Us and Nope, I have to strongly disagree. He’s a phenomenal filmmaker but I believe there are two gentlemen that are on another level that Peele just hasn’t reached yet. One is Mike Flanagan who I could talk about until I’m blue in the face but I’ll refrain for now. The other, and the director of The Conjuring, is James Wan. I think he is one of a few directors working today that is responsible for returning some respect to the genre that seemingly so many wrote off as unserious or claimed it was a genre where the talentless go to die. He brought back cinematography as an art form that elevates the genre making even the most grotesque scenes something to marvel over.
He mainstreamed stronger storytelling rather than empty jump scares and one dimensional characters written to simply be killed off. He has helped create a horror genre where it demands to be respected and viewed in the same light as the most prestigious dramas. While the voting academies still haven’t come around, most of us have already come to the conclusion that horror is as significant and potentially moving as every other genre out there. It can feature gorgeous visuals, striking imagery and the stories can be fully realized. The characters can be nuanced and become something more than murder fodder. I believe James Wan, alongside other creators, has brought what we love so much to the forefront of Hollywood where the impact of the genre can no longer be ignored.
The days of future Hollywood A-listers being embarrassed by their early work in some B-grade horror trash are, for the most part, long gone. We are in a horror renaissance and Wan, Flanagan, Peele, Ari Aster and Jennifer Kent, to name a few, are collectively responsible for the surge of excellent horror we’ve been experiencing over the last decade plus. It’s a beautiful thing.
Part of his effort went to bringing back the beloved haunted house subgenre. It was a genre that understandably became stale and highly repetitive. He brought back the glory of old school practical effects, strategically placed computer imagery, and simple but effective make-up effects making the ghouls and goblins of his stories feel alive, even in death. The Conjuring was his first step in proving that Saw, where gore was the goal, was only one of many tools in his bag of tricks. He utilized fog machines, long takes down dimly lit hallways. Perhaps most importantly he believed, then and now, in strong storytelling where characters have to matter for the horror to take hold. Mindless, ignorant characters with no development don’t impact in a meaningful way when they begin to die or face mortal danger. He established early on that caring about the characters in a movie is absolutely pivotal to creating proper scares, tension and threats of violence. If you don’t care, it doesn’t matter when a character is stabbed to death or runs for their life with a knife wielding maniac hot on their heels.
With the now iconic The Conjuring he gave us a dramatized but relatable Ed and Lorraine Warren. While their occupation in the film is to help suffering families plagued by the supernatural, it is the relationship of the Warrens that is established first. We see their love, their belief not just in God but in one other. They get their strength from each other allowing them to face the most terrifying, unforgiving forces the devil has at his disposal. They are braver because they are together and therefore they are stronger as a unit facing demons and angry spirits. They lead with love and they bring that into their profession as paranormal experts. They demonstrate that leading with love and unity is the very antithesis of the evil forces they face and so these entities are weakened simply by the presence of the Warrens.
Then we meet the Perron family. We learn of their relationship dynamics, their belief system and what they begin to endure that ultimately requires Ed and Lorraine Warren to step in for help. Caring about the safety of these people, the Perrons and Warrens alike, elevates the stakes of malevolent forces aiming to do sinister, harmful acts against the residents of the Perrons' recently purchased home.
The story is familiar but the fear lies with the execution of old school horror tropes done to perfection and with a level of respect for the genre as a whole.
The Perrons were a normal family in 1971 when they moved into their new, old dilapidated farmhouse in rural Rhode Island. Thinking they got the property for a steal, they are ecstatic about this new chapter. Well the parents are thrilled at least. Some of the kids require a little more convincing that the move was for the best. It isn’t long into their new setting when things begin to change ever so slightly. Clocks stop ticking, a putrid smell is sometimes noticed in the home, pictures constantly fall off the wall. The dog outright refuses to enter the home and birds start to repeatedly crash into their home dying on impact. As these things begin to hold their sleep hostage, weariness starts to set in allowing for worse occurrences to take hold. Cuts and bruises begin to show for no known reasons and feelings of being watched and terrorized eventually become commonplace for the Perrons.
Feeling helpless, the Perrons’ matriarch, Carolyn, turns to the Warrens for answers and assistance. From the moment Lorraine, a powerful medium, walks into the Perrons’ home she feels not one but many angry, scared spirits and one malevolent, hostile force seemingly determined to cause chaos and pain. Together, the Perrons and Warrens will band together to battle evil forces loyal to the devil and determined to kill. It will take everything they have to defeat this demon but it can be done. They hope.
The Conjuring is glorious, old school, haunted house horror. It surprises with fresh scares utilizing old and new techniques. It is an homage to a bygone era while bringing the subgenre into the modern era. The Warrens are religious warriors who also just happen to have a pensive side. They are strong and experienced but never beyond danger. The Perron family are the vicarious characters through which we experience such horror. It’s dramatically resonant, visually jarring, eerily structured and epically terrifying. The Conjuring is a complete, expertly crafted haunted house movie that has only gotten better with time.
Rated R For: sequences of disturbing violence and terror
Runtime: 112 minutes
After Credits Scene: No
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Starring: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Lili Taylor, Ron Livingston
Directed By: James Wan
Out of 10
Story: 8.5/ Acting: 9/ Directing: 10/ Visuals: 9.5
OVERALL: 9.5/10
Buy to Own: Yes.
Check out the trailer below:
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