The Conjuring

Another thorough lesson in exorcism and communication with ugly ghosts, but this time creatively shot, devilishly well acted and even genuinely scary in places. Wan is not that original in the end, and especially the first half is more or less just a suspenseful patchwork of tried-and-tested clichés saturated with references to Child's Play, Hitchcock's The Birds, and hundreds of films with creaking doors, a possessed bedside clock, and an imaginary friend. Where the director triumphs again, however, is, as in Insidious, in the chilling execution of the scenes with the ghosts – no cheap jump scares, but patiently spun tension that tingles on the viewer's nerves, which Wan clearly revels in and wrings new blood even from disgustingly stale moments like the excellent bed scene. The glowing reviews may have driven my expectations too high, but I have to admit that Wan has a firm grasp on his craft and is perhaps the only one who can consistently make entertaining and successful horror films at the moment. Let’s hope he can continue :-) 80% (10/08/2013)

I saw it in the theater, but I feel like if I watched it at home on my computer, I'd enjoy it just as much. The atmosphere didn't really move me (= I wasn't scared, I only got scared about two times); it felt more like a thriller than a horror movie. (And looking at the genre, I was right on the money.) I enjoyed it because it wasn't your typical mindless horror movie with exorcisms of the devil. It had a nice "scientific" feel to it. With a few exceptions, it could do without the crying-to-the-heavens cowlike behavior of the characters. I was expecting something a bit more, so I felt a bit empty when I left the cinema, I felt a bit "unfulfilled" and it has nothing to do with my escort just gripped my hand... Not bad, but nothing to fall on your ass about either. But I found a flaw in the film! SPOILER When the mother goes to the husband-investigators to ask them for help, they don't want to believe her that there's really something going on. But then later on in the movie, they are told that the ghosts have stuck to them, that they will be with them everywhere and all the time, wherever they go, that the psychic can see them. So how come she didn't see anything when her mother came to them asking for help? It just boggled my mind... (09/09/2013)

For the time being, unenthusiastic satisfaction, Wan’s reputation and the unusual positive responses may have set the expectations too high. The Conjuring is a very good old-school horror movie that takes inspiration from all sorts of places. With twisted elements and clichés Wan mixes a very tasty atmospheric cocktail. I don’t mind the lack of originality in horror, quite the contrary in fact, I’m glad that there are competent filmmakers who aren’t afraid of making polished classical genre movies (even if schematically). What bothers me a little is when those clichés are not used in an inventive way. The Conjuring is a safe bet. Does it work? Yeah, it sure does. Insidious, Wan’s previous film, worked a bit better (at least for me), because the initial unoriginal premise was spiced up with something (who could have guessed that there would be something like “astral travel”? Nobody. Who can guess that The Conjuring will result in an exorcism? pretty much everyone half an hour in, at most), and it also had smarter and more original jump-scares (remember the guy walking by the window?). In Insidious that resulted in terror that was intensive and crawled under your skin, whereas here, for most of the time, we move within the boundaries of pleasant fear. And then there is that weird subplot with the Annabelle doll, which I think was unused as well as incomplete. But although I can’t avoid such criticism, I think The Conjuring is very well made and a must-see, and I’m sure it will be among my top horror movies of the year. In any case, I’m looking forward to what it will do in a future private viewing, with my face close to the screen and the sound through the headphones. Maybe after that it could get the fifth star. (29/07/2013)

“Look how I can get you with something you’ve seen a hundred times before!” the talented James Wan said to himself. Brilliant filmmaking, especially the long introductory shots. The 1970s atmosphere, which best suits haunted houses, is well depicted. The Conjuring has quality actors and great sound, making it a grade-A horror movie that Warner Bros. can be proud of. But the ending could have offered more. The first [Rec] set a real high bar for final escalation. (16/09/2013)

I-I-I w-w-was sh-sh-shaking with f-f-fear; not. Tension without fear with ineffective fright moments. Which wouldn’t matter if the movie weren’t all about frights and fear. Although, in the first half, Wan builds up and further tightens the tension in textbook style (basing this all on genre classics), nothing comes of it. Although, perhaps... An over-combined finale which tries to cover so much that it covers nothing fully. P.S.: Squealing Valena was priceless! (02/08/2013)