Back in September I reviewed The Nun. To be perfectly honest with all of you, I had not yet seen any of the films set within The Conjuring universe. I wanted to see them but the life of a reviewer means we do not always get to everything we would like when they come out. I did not want to approach The Nun completely blind though so I had purchased all of The Conjuring and Annabelle movies and watched them in the week before the new film was released. Tonight on The Witching Hour I would like to revisit the movie that put the franchise on the map.
As many of you are likely aware, The Conjuring movies are loosely based on Ed and Lorraine Warren – a married couple who positioned themselves as paranormal investigators. Their investigations were the basis for The Amityville Horror and the other films in that series. With the rights to the Amityville franchise currently controlled my Metro-Goldwyn-Mayor Films, The Conjuring focuses on an earlier case investigated by the Warrens.
The couple is played by Patrick Wilson (Aquaman) and Vera Farmiga (Bates Motel) and I have to say that I really enjoy their chemistry with each other. While the movies never explicitly states that the Warrens’ love for each other is a source of strength for them, I absolutely did get the sense that they support each other through the terrifying cases they investigate.
The story in The Conjuring is primarily focused on the Perron family and their newly purchased home. It seems that the house has seen some very grim happenings over the years and a number of strange and terrifying incidents have convinced the Perrons that the place must be haunted.
Let’s just get this out of the way. The Conjuring is scary as Hell. Oddly enough, the movie is rated R even though there is no nudity and is actually very tame when it comes to blood. The director and producer were aiming for a PG-13 rating but the film received an R rating from the MPAA simply because it is so frightening. That is due to the exquisite cinematography, atmosphere and masterful building of suspense. The film is not extreme enough to alienate mainstream movie goers but delivers on the chills. I highly recommend showing this during your movie night during the Halloween season. It is a treat to watch a film with strong actors, an intelligent script and amazing cinematography.
