The Conjuring

Directed by James Wan

Starring Patrick Wilson, Vera Famiga

Only recently have I watched The Conjuring. I didn’t see it in theaters and it was a middle-of-the-list movie on my see list. It should have been higher.

Patrick Wilson and Vera Famiga star as The Warrens, a legendary husband and wife team of paranormal investigators. Whether they were legit or not, or any of the case they investigated were real hauntings, bare no merit here.

The movie presents them as being legit, and their cases as well. After all, it is based on one of their actual cases.

Let me say this about the movie:

This is one of the best horror films I have seen in a long time. I loved The Conjuring.

The story and script were very strong. Production values were high and the acting excellent.

This movie knows not just how to scare you, but how to chill one to their bones. It takes the time to build up the nightmare slowly, all the while playing games with your head that there might not be a nightmare. There is no gore or shock value. Instead of those they use light and dark, to create an atmosphere and mood that instills dread. They also do something else.

They present the film as a drama. The characters are fleshed out and developed. There is character conflict as well as story conflict. The Warrens are both three-dimensional characters and go through their own journeys.

The Plot and story are also developed as the movie unfolds. Scares and reveals are placed at just the right moments.

The Conjuring has more in common with Val Lawton’s Cat People, then it does a modern day slasher/horror flick. It is better for it.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Vera Famiga is awesome. Awesome.

The Conjuring is excellent too. It pulls off a rare feat of working as a horror and drama film.

RATING: 7.5