Cyberland/Entertainment

Review of The Conjuring

By Jon Morgan
On the surface, The Conjuring could be seen as just another haunted house movie. You have
the typical premise of a family (the Perrons) moving into a house with an unknown past and
then eventually realizing as weird stuff begins to happen that something is just not right. Some
evil being/spirit/demon inhabits the house and either wants to kill them, possess them, or a little
of both.
These plot points alone could have put this movie in a category with a lot of other, recently
released movies. Amityville Horror comes to mind, for example.
The extra touch which sets this movie apart from the others is the addition of a couple who
happen to be experts at dealing with haunted houses, demon possession, etc. Ed and Lorraine
Warren are introduced early on in the movie. We are introduced to their lives in scenes which
are intermingled with the scenes of the family living in their brand-new house, and some of their
dialogue serves as exposition setting us up for most of the events in the second half of the film.
While our focus remains on the family and the horrors behind their new home, the movie
actually belongs to the Warrens. The entire story is set up as being based on a true life case
that they worked on.
As the Warrens became involved with the familys situation, I found myself rooting for their
cause. Usually the main characters are left to figure out everything on their own, and being
novices when it comes to dealing with ghosts they are usually pretty slow at it. The Warrens
bring expertise which elevates the plot. This is one of the rare movies where it seems that the
family can fight back and keep their home, and they do fight.
The presence of the demonologists and their small crew reminded me of shows like
Supernatural and The X-Files and the movie Poltergeist. But, while the crew is capable you
get the feeling that they are still outmatched by the evil lurking in the house.
As for the thrills and horrors, there are plenty. Slowly the evidence of the haunting built up until
the horrors become physical and explicit. The Perrons reach out to the Warrens when things are
at their worst.
One example of such a supernatural encounter occurs while the mother is playing hide and go
seek while blindfolded. As shown in the trailer, she is drawn to a closet by clapping she believes
to be coming from her daughter, only to realize that her daughter was in a different room.
The movie sprinkles a lot of the same plot points that have been used in different movies: an
invisible friend, animals that get spooked, bumps in the night, and a building with a history thats

both mysterious and horrific. What The Conjuring does well is blend these familiar elements
into a story that feels original, with characters that you wouldnt mind visiting again.
If I had to complain about anything, it is that the pacing towards the beginning of the movie is a
little slow. There is a lot of dialogue and some scenes that seem to go on for longer than they
need to. But, these help to establish the characters and pay off towards the end.
As horror movies go, there are plenty of thrills and chills so this movie is not for the faint-of-
heart, especially if you are bothered by scenes showing small children in mortal danger. But,
this movie is mostly a thriller, with minimum amounts of blood and violence. As one might
expect, things get the most intense towards end during the resolution of the story.

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