The Conjuring is a lesson in the heebie-jeebies, fluctuating between creepy and frightening and never dull or expected. With based-on-a-true-story-haunted-family-faced-with-possession-and-an-eerie-house horror movies being dime-a-dozen recently, The Conjuring stands out against the rest as the most well-crafted and horrifying example in recent memory.
After moving to a new home, the Perron family is terrorized by a demonic spirit and is forced to seek help from paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson & Vera Farmiga).
Both the acting and cinematography are seamless and suit the film but where The Conjuring really succeeds is in its direction. Director James Wan (Saw, Insidious) has a gift for mixing the elements of horror in a way that maintains seat-clenching tension throughout the majority of the movie. Jolts and shocks are used sparingly, creepiness is king here with brilliant accents of terror.
Wan's knack for horror has clearly evolved between Saw and Insidious and he seems to have hit his stride with The Conjuring. He has leveraged the style of Insidious and incorporated the best tricks from the paranormal-horror genre together while avoiding the weaknesses. Unfortunately, this means that, at times, scares may seem familiar – though never better... 5 (subtracting .25 for each of the following movies if you have seen them: Insidious, Paranormal Activity 4, Dead Silence) out of 5.
