There are few films that really scare me anymore. I don't think it's so much desensitized, as much as I hate that word because if I saw the stuff I see in most scary movies in real life I completely freak out, but rather as a writer I tend to deconstruct plots and understand the mechanics of a scary movie. But, oh baby, there is something about The Conjuring that scared the crap out of me. I saw it in the theater on a sunny Saturday afternoon and that was both one of the best and worst ideas of my life. There I was, seated in my usual spot towards the front and as this movie went on, I sank further and further in my seat hugging myself from the unremitting dread and tension that was building on screen. I had no idea where this movie was going to go and I was just along for the ride.
The film tells the story of the Perron family who are just moving into a new house. This is the way these films usually start and this one is no different. The father, Roger (played by Ron Livingston) is a truck driver and frequently away, which leaves the mother, Carolyn (played by Lili Taylor) to look after their five daughters. The supernatural events in the house start slowly and are things that could easily be explained away, such as doors opening on their own. Then things slowly escalate. The clocks keep stopping at 3:07 a.m. Rotten smells that come and go with no apparent explanation. Birds keep crashing into the side of the house. Things escalate further when the spirits in the house start full on attacking the occupants.
In over their heads, Roger and Carolyn reach out to famed paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) for help. Initially reluctant to come out, they agree when they see the desperation in Carolyn's face. As soon as they get there, they can tell there is something seriously wrong with the house. They soon set up for a full blown investigation along with their research assistant Drew (played by Shannon Kook) to gather evidence in an attempt to request a formal exorcism of the property since it is the source of the trouble is determined to be demonic in nature.
What makes The Conjuring work is not so much the story itself, which is not that much different than most haunted house films, but how it's told. The film takes its time to establish the characters and as a viewer you come to care for this family and what they are going through. Likewise, the film also establishes the Warrens as well and they are crafted as three dimensional characters. Of course, the film is also based on a true story from an actual case the real Ed and Lorraine Warren investigated, which probably helps add a bit to it as well. Of course, how much is actually real is subjective and some of it is probably exaggerated for the sake of poetic license. The casting of all four leads are very well done and they all give great performances which adds a lot of emotional weight to the film as well.
I hesitate to give a lot away in this review because the element of surprise is what it has going for it. Within the framework of a typical ghost story hides a real chiller of a movie. I'm not even entirely sure how they managed to make it so scary beyond the fact that they made the characters so relatable that the audience immediately cares what happens to them and as a result, the tension in the film rises as well. Perhaps the best way to illustrate it is as such, this film is rated R despite containing very little violence, no nudity, and very little swearing. It earned it's rating on just how scary it really is. If you're looking for a movie to really creep you out this Halloween, this is the one to see.
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