The Conjuring Review

The Conjuring Synopsis: The Perron family moves into a house in the country, and as you can expect for any horror movie, it shortly starts going to hell for them. This particular movie deals with the demonic possession trope, and in this case pulls in some ‘real deal’ paranormal investigators in the form of Ed and Lorraine Warren.

Release Date: 2013-7-19 | MPAA Rating: R | Coolthulhus Earned: 3

Trailer: The Conjuring

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The Conjuring is a movie that I’ve seen several times at this point, and I think my opinion of it has changed gradually over time. The first time I saw it, we went to the theatres, and I don’t think either of us had a clue that it was opening night. We ended up standing in line for quite a while, but I remember we (my partner and I) both ended up thinking that it was clearly worth it.

Now, there are some (as to be expected, because, hello, horror movie!) gruesome scenes, and a death that happens fairly early on that just makes you want to throw something at the screen. Are there any unique or unusual scenes/developments in this movie? No. This is a pretty typical horror movie, albeit with a slightly more popular cast and bigger budget than we’re used to receiving. It utilizes sleep-walking, loud noises at unexpected times, and terrorized kids. Par for course.

But…it does ‘the usual’ really, really well. I think this movie has the singular distinction of being the only movie that I’ve ever watched in theatre and actually yelped in surprise /from being scared during. I definitely covered my eyes at least once, and cowered back in my seat. This doesn’t necessarily say a lot for the movie in terms of how frightening it is, as I am a self-admitted wuss, but… it made me happy. I love getting scared nearly senseless, and came out of the movie laughing in delight from the adrenaline trip.

I gotta say, though, this applies really if you only watch it one time. Unfortunately, The Conjuring just does not have a re-watchability factor (and that’s saying something from me considering I re-watch old things more than I watch new things.) The second go around with this movie is like watching the Sixth Sense for the third time.

Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga do an incredible job as Ed and Lorraine Warren. They have exactly the right chemistry to make you believe they are in love with each other and committed to their unusual jobs. Lili Taylor is no slouch, either, as we’ve seen from her acting gigs in movies like The Haunting (1999). The rest of the cast’s performances were okay, but nothing memorable.

The Conjuring (2013) also introduced the doll Annabelle, for which a movie was released in 2014. In a bit of rather fortunate/unfortunate (depending on how you take my Twitter reaction of “What? NO. No no no no no no no no. The Conjuring was a decent movie! Don’t cheapen it!”) I also just found out that they’ve recently started shooting on The Conjuring 2 (via Body Count Rising).

Overall: As a one-time watch? Its fantastic. As a repeat watch? “Meh”. Click here to rent or buy The Conjuring (2013) now on Amazon.com

Lilyn G

Lilyn G is the founder of Sci-Fi & Scary, and leader of the Coolthulhu Crew. She does book and film reviews for both genres the site focuses on. Her tastes run towards creature features, hard science fiction, and lots and lots of action. She also has a soft spot for middle-grade fiction that rears its head frequently.

Though no longer involved with Ladies of Horror Fiction due to other responsibilities and a too-full plate, she was one of the original 4 co-founders.

Feel free to chat her up on Twitter as long as you aren’t hitting her up to review your book.

The Conjuring Review