The new film by
modern master of horror James Wan is a strange concoction. On one hand it
manages to reel off every single genre cliché of the last decade or so without
pausing for breath, but on the other it’s one of the few genuinely terrifying experiences produced in recent years. Wan began his cinematic career with Saw, a film which, however formulaic its
sequels have become, was a big step in the quest for originality, proving that
you don’t need a shaky camcorder to make a low-budget horror. Now, after the
relatively low-key Dead Silence, the
hugely popular Insidious (with its
sequel due mid-September) and the news that Wan is swapping ghosts for
gearboxes and is now in the process of filming no. 7 in the Fast & Furious franchise, The Conjuring feels more like a
conclusion: a summing up of what has come before.
Set on Rhode Island in a farm house
typical of any horror released in the ‘70s (Amityville
being the obvious comparison, though Psycho
must also be an inspiration), The
Conjuring is based on real life paranormal investigators Lorraine and Ed
Warren’s most infamous case. In 1971 Roger and Carolyn Perron move in with
their five daughters and begin to experience the usual: doors slam, the clocks
stop at 3.07am, a funky smell of rotting meat follows them around the house and
one of the girls finds a music box that she uses to see her ‘new friend’.
Reaching the end of their tether they seek out the Warrens, who come laden with
night vision cameras, UV lights and a Bible, intent on destroying the sinister
presence before it latches onto the family itself.
Credit must be given to the writing
partnership of Chris and Carey Hayes (the brothers behind House of Wax, The Reaping
and Whiteout) whose characterisation
of the Warrens is what gives The Conjuring
that extra dimension. The two ghost hunters, played by Vera Farmiga and Patrick
Wilson, are themselves parents who are forced to leave a young daughter at home
with her nanny while they travel the country relieving the possessed and
putting minds to rest, but more importantly they fervently believe that what
they’re doing is real (which is where the comparisons to Mystery Inc. end).
Farmiga, already a horror veteran, having appeared in Orphan and more recently A&E’s Bates Motel as Norma Bates, is undeniably the star of the film as
Lorraine Warren, a clairvoyant on the brink of a psychological breakdown. Her
obvious care for the wellbeing of the Perrons while at the same time having to
deal with her own inner-turmoil gives The
Conjuring proper substance, making it more than just another horror flick.Here Wan does what he does best, creating a tight two hours of built-up suspense, slowly cranking up the tension until suddenly it snaps and everything comes crashing down. The director understands the needs of his audience; the scares are predictable, yet so persistent that even the flick of a light switch can set your heart racing. Yet perhaps this gathering-together of haunted house conventions is a sign that they’ve run their course, that maybe it’s time for mainstream horror to come up with something original rather than simply sticking the clichés together in different ways. It’s hard to say - more likely The Conjuring just proves that the old tricks are the best, and if that be the case, who better to perform them than James Wan?
