“The Conjuring” is loosely based on the true story of paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren (played by Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson). The movie follows their encounter with the Perron family in 1970.
Plot
Following a unique and unsettling career of investigating paranormal figures, main characters, Ed and Lorraine Warren now spend their time lecturing about their knowledge in demonology. Set in the 1970s, the film does a great job at conveying a good sense of time and setting. The outfits, vehicles and songs are all carefully written in consideration of the time period.
The film soon introduces the audience to the Perron family. Roger and Carolyn Perron, along with their 5 daughters move to Rhode Island after buying a two-story farmhouse. The family of 7 quickly begins to experience frightening and unnatural things. They learn that the house has a history of these unnatural events. Carolyn discovers the Warrens after a lecture and asks them to investigate their house.
The first half of the movie focuses primarily on the Perrons and their struggles to understand what is happening in their new house. The film spends a lot of time building depth in the Perron family and introducing the haunting scenes that lead them to going to the Warrens for help. In the second half of the movie, the audience sees the Warrens get more involved in the story as they help the Perrons identify the terror in their house. This is where the film gets really interesting and suspenseful.
Direction
“The Conjuring” and its success can be mainly credited to director, James Wan. From the very beginning of the movie, he perfectly portrays the level of tension and discomfort that comes with directing a horror movie. Although some of his techniques are pretty standard, like using slamming doors, flickering lights and creaking floors, they all serve their purpose and prove to be highly effective. Wan makes perfect use of creative, scaling camera shots as well as the use of music to implement the overall terrifying theme of the movie. Another interesting stance Wan takes is focusing on psychological horror over gore like many successful horror movies have done.
Performances
The two lead actors do a tremendous job throughout the film. Patrick Wilson is excellent in his role as Ed Warren. He fits the role perfectly and never once appears to be insincere in his portrayal. Vera Farmiga takes on a different role than she has been used to in the past. In spite of this, she still shines alongside Wilson, as they both show 100% commitment to their respective roles. Between the two of them, there are no throw away lines or botched delivery. They are major reasons why the film was as successful as it was.
My Opinion
“The Conjuring” doesn’t bring anything new to the horror genre, but it’s direction and performances make it a horror classic. There is something refreshing about the film even though it spends the entire time in very familiar territory. It gives a similar feeling to horror movies like Insidious or Paranormal Activity . It has plenty of scenes with a few demonic images that leave you haunted. Overall, I would highly recommend this film to any fan of cinematography that can remain frightening, though hopeful.
