The Conjuring

 

If only the Perron family had listened to Sadie.  She was the Perron's dog, and as soon as the family moved into their new dream home, Sadie was frightened to even set foot inside the place.  It's not like she didn't try to warn them.  She stayed outside the house all night, barking wildly, as if she was trying to warn them about the paranormal entity that dwelled within.  Alas, they didn't listen, and by the next morning, it was too late, as Sadie had mysteriously died, presumably at the hands of whatever evil force haunts the house.

The Conjuring is an expertly made horror movie by James Wan, a filmmaker who certainly knows his way around a haunted house by now, having directed Insidious a couple years ago, as well as its upcoming sequel. (He also created the Saw franchise.) What surprised me the most about this movie is that Wan is not really making a traditional haunting movie, although all the usual trappings are there, like ominous noises in the middle of the night, and doors to creepy cellars opening by themselves.  Instead, his main focus is on the human and romantic drama created by real-life paranormal investigation couple, Ed and Lorraine Warren.  Their love for each other, and their desire to protect one another, is what really drives this film, not whatever happens to be haunting the Perron house.  They also have a young daughter of their own that they are trying to protect.  The fact that the movie puts its focus on this family dramatic first is what raises this film above the usual horror claptrap.  While the stuff about the haunting is well done, it does feel pretty familiar,  and will feel especially so to fans of the Poltergeist or Exorcist movies. 

The Warrens are played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, who both manage to create a believable and loving relationship on screen.  The movie actually starts out by showing one of the earlier cases the Warrens investigated, involving a doll named Annabelle that had a demonic spirit living within it.  Anyone could take one look at that doll in this movie, and not be surprised that it harbors an evil entity.  The creepiness factor on this thing is so off the charts, it makes the infamous Chucky doll from the Child's Play movies look like a cherished Christmas toy!  After introducing us to the Warrens and their line of work, the movie switches over to the Perron family, who in 1971, moved from the city to a quaint little house in the country.  The family includes the father, Roger (Ron Livingston), who works as a truck driver, so he has to leave his family alone in the haunted house for extended periods of time.  The mother, Carolyn (Lili Taylor), becomes frightened for the safety of everyone within the home, and soon becomes the central target of whatever is haunting them.  Finally, there are their five daughters, who are the initial targets of the spirits before Carolyn.

As is often the case, the paranormal activity starts out subtle, with things like all the clocks in the house stopping at the exact same time every night, or the smell of rotting meat permeating in certain rooms.   When the haunting becomes more aggressive and seems intent on harming certain family members, Roger and Carolyn contact the Warrens, hoping they will perform an investigation.  This is actually a good call, as the Warrens come across as not only people who know what they're doing, but also very sympathetic to the family and what they're going through.  I like that the film portrays the Warrens as intelligent individuals who don't try to frighten the family when they come to investigate.  We even get a scene where the Warrens are investigating a different case of a presumed haunting, and they debunk it by giving a rational explanation to the sounds the family keep hearing (it's the old plumbing in the house).  These people take their work seriously, and are not grandstanding before their clients.  And when they realize that the Perron house truly is haunted and that the family is in danger, they go out of their way to protect them.

What makes The Conjuring so effective is Wan's directing style.  He gets off some interesting shots, particularly during a sequence when one of the Perron daughters, Christine (Joey King from the recent White House Down), looks under her bed when she starts to hear strange noises in the middle of the night.  He also allows us to savor the atmosphere.  There are no rapid edits or quick cuts like you find in a lot of recent horror films.  Even when there is a jump scare, he seems to linger a bit longer before to build up tension, and afterward, so we can take in what's there.  I also admired how he uses practical effects for his scares.  This is not a high tech horror film, and that kind of helps create the right atmosphere, since this film is set mostly in the early 70s.  He also gets some strong performances out of his cast.  Not only are Wilson and Farmiga credible as the paranormal investigating couple, but the actors playing the Perrons create a believable family bond.  Sure, the daughters tease one another, and Roger and Carolyn sometimes have their differences, but you can sense their love for each other.

Should this movie prove to be a success at the box office (and early reports, as well as the audience I saw it with on a Friday night, seem to prove it will), the studio is apparently planning to make it into a series of films covering the different cases that the Warrens investigated in their career together, until the real life Ed passed away back in 2006.  I can see this idea working, and I look forward to Wilson and Farmiga strengthening their on-screen chemistry in future films.  If anything, it would be kind of nice to have a horror franchise that is driven by the human characters at the center of it all, rather than a slasher monster who keeps on coming back from the dead.

See the movie times in your area or buy the DVD at Amazon.com!

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