What’s is About?
Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse.
“The Conjuring”
Directed by James Wan
9 out of 10
By Brian
“The Conjuring” is proof that true scares don’t resonate from things popping out of nowhere, monsters that refuse to die, or belt driven plots that exist to titillate more than frighten. The true scares come from a meaningful plot, excellent acting, and practical effects that are used correctly. James Wan hits one out of the ballpark with “The Conjuring.” What might look like another shitty remake of the “The Amityville Horror” is the furthest thing from it. I think this is the finest horror film since Kubrick’s “The Shining.”
What makes it work so well? It starts with a great setup that brings us into the world of demonic forces and the havoc they can wreak. It then introduces us to a loving and beautiful family that you will care about. They don’t have some dark secret or abusive parent bullshit to pull us away from the main plot. They are an ordinary and loving family putting everything into a home they hope they can raise their family in. Now, because their setup is done intelligently, when all hell breaks loose you are gripped in fear and full of empathy for what they are put through.
I’ll warn you right now, The Conjuring has true scares in it that will make you jump and fill you with an unease other films wish they could. It’s all done with little to no CGI, a low budget (by today’s standards), no big star, and very few locations. How? When you have a gifted director like James Wan who can use his camera in interesting ways and keep the pacing tight, it proves to be far more effective than a bunch of worthless special effects. There’s a magic in truly effective horror. It doesn’t come around that often. You can probably count on two hands the number of horror films that truly frightened you. Be prepared to add “The Conjuring” to that list.
VIC'S MOVIE DEN 
Easily one of the best horror flicks so far this year. Great review!
Glad you liked the review, Joseph! I am actually watching this tonight, by the way. Can’t wait. Thanks for stopping by, man. Brian never disappoints!
This one was so brilliantly made, great scares and honestly that doll freaked me out 🙂
I am watching this one tonight for the first time. Can’t wait! I love when a horror film lives up to the hype. I’m glad you liked Brian’s review and thanks for stopping by!
I thought the Conjuring was really good, the tension built slowly, and when the evil forces were unleashed it was great. The bit where all the photographs came crashing down was really creepy, and it just kept getting scarier.Great film.
I’ll be watching it tonight for the first time. Cannot wait. I’m stoked that the movie has lived up to the hype. Thanks for stopping in, Paul. Always appreciated, buddy!
Sure you’ll enjoy the Conjuring, really good, and very creepy!
It was amazing! Scared the crap outta me. More than once!
I thought it would, great film, made me jump as well!
Good review Brian. A fun time, especially if you like scary movies, so it definitely has that going for itself.
I just finished it, Dan. It was amazing! Glad you liked Brian’s review. Thanks for stopping by. I hope I can sleep tonight…
I didn’t have the same reaction you did, Brian (or Vic, I see in the comments). I am a really hard-to-scare guy, and I kept finding flaws. Too much trying to show us what’s behind the closet rather than to just have our paranoia do the trick
Good point, Dave. That didn’t occur to me. I just watched this last night for the first time. I don’t scare easily either but I suppose I got pretty much wrapped up in it. As far as flaws, I guess my tired old brain didn’t pick up on them.
My son and I are big fans of paranormal movies and we just had a blast watching a film that involved The Warrens. I love the Amityville reference at the end.
Thanks for stopping by, Dave. I appreciate it, man. I’ll be sure that Brian reads your comment to see what he has to say!