Number 31 of My Top 31 Horror Movies : Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their new family home out in the country : Since the great John Carpenter gave up the director’s chair and Wes Craven left us for his new home in the sky, it’s my humble opinion that Australian filmmaker James Wan has delivered more consistent scares than most since SAW hit the screens back in 2004 : in typical James Wan style The Conjuring contains no sex scenes and when it came to the film’s rating the movie received an R for pure scare value alone, the film also contains very little violence just pure nerve jangling horror, filmed like a throwback to the 60s and 70s horror gems : Wan shot the movie in 28 days on a budget of just over $20 Million and to this day the film has grossed well over the $300 Million mark : The Conjuring (like most low budget pics) relies heavily on some creative storytelling and superb acting and there’s plenty of this on show with the reliable pair of Wilson & Farmiga along with The Haunting’s Lili Taylor who really does look like she belongs in the Hammer Horror era overpowering the screen with her unique beauty & ability to switch between playing a loving parent to a raving looney in a nano-second, the scene’s where her character is possessed and the demonic spirit won’t let her leave the house is amongst her finest work, I was also impressed by Ron Livingston’s working dad performance, truly believable and adds so much to the film’s ensemble : I really dug the way James Wan gives the viewer a little taste into Ed’s treasure trove of horror at his home including that creepy demonic doll Annabelle and other items taken from cases Ed & Lorraine worked on : overall The Conjuring is one of the creepiest horror movies in the last 20yrs, the camera work especially inside the Perron’s house is quite brilliant (those upside down shots and inside the walls of the bedroom are terrifying), the film made me jump out of my skin on more than one occassion, and if you have a wardrobe in your bedroom it might be an idea to invest in some locks before revisiting this masterpiece ★★★★½
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