The plot consists of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, who are wonderfully played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga who are called to the Harrisville farmhouse to investigate increasingly creepy circumstances that are putting the Perron family that live there on edge. Without giving too much away, the plot progresses like you might expect it to with apparitions and demons appearing throughout, tormenting both the Warrens and the family living in the house before it all culminates in an exorcism.
To the films credit it is very atmospheric and builds tension throughout. The problem is that once we actually see what it is that is haunting the character or causing a disturbance it just isn't scary. Oh no, a scary face. Wow look at that maid walking around, how terrifying. I just don't find this film all that scary. I am struggling to think of a single instance in which I was genuinely scared. I was definitely creeped out though, but that was usually due to the incredible sound design, consisting of those eerie claps that the Perron family keep hearing and even the sinister laughter and footsteps that can sometimes be heard during the night. So this film actually scared me more by what I didn't see. Strange isn't it? Something I can't see leaves things to my imagination and allows me to imagine and envisage this demon or witch in whatever way I want to. That's what made the first Paranormal Activity scary for me, I couldn't see the demon wreaking all this havoc and that made the film scary to me.
In actual fact the scariest part of this whole film to me was the introduction to the characters of Ed and Lorraine, who retell the story of a possessed doll named Annabel who in fact is a "conduit" for a really powerful demon. The storytelling in this introduction is awesome, this part of the film is actually scary, and the eerie fact that Ed warns people of this doll when they enter his home is almost as terrifying as the idea of a sequel to this film.
James Wan and myself have a strange relationship. Whilst I really enjoyed the original Saw and thought that the film and twist ending were original ideas and well thought out, I couldn't stomach his next so called horror which was Insidious, why was Darth Maul in that movie? He wasn't scary and the storyline was paper thin. Whilst I think that Wan is a director with a lot of potential, I don't think he is best suited to these kinds of films, and I look forward to seeing what he can do with the Fast and Furious franchise.
Whilst The Conjuring was mostly enjoyable, with notably good acting from Patrick Wilson, I do not think a sequel is necessary. Why can no horror movie be a stand alone anymore? Again going back to Paranormal Activity, the film was great on its own, but now with a whole franchise behind it, it feels kind of silly now, they aren't scary any more, and none of the sequels are that good (except for part three, I thought that was pretty cool.) A sequel to this film is just going to feel tacked on, and it can't seriously expect us to believe that it is another true story can it?
Well that's my rant over. Not a perfect film and certainly not original, it is a decent haunted house movie and certainly builds a creepy atmosphere although not always able to deliver on the scares. Now if only Hollywood would leave well enough alone.
No comments:
Post a Comment