As far as haunted house movies go, there are few as creepy and unnerving as "The Conjuring." Such was the consensus opinion among CineVerse members who braved a viewing of the film last evening. Here are the conclusions we reached:
WHY AND HOW IS “THE CONJURING” AN EFFECTIVE MODERN HORROR
FILM, CONSIDERING HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO MAKE AN EFFECTIVE HORROR MOVIE OF
LASTING QUALITY?
·
It isn’t innovative, pioneering or completely
original, but instead it take a lot of the conventions, tropes and clichés
we’ve come to expect in scary movies and blends them together for a nice
macabre medley. Consider the tropes/conventions it uses:
o The
summoning of a team of “ghostbusters”/paranormal investigators (as in
“Poltergeist,” “The Haunting,” and “Paranormal Activity”)
o The
depiction of demonic possession and of an exorcism rite (as in “The Exorcist,”
“The Rite,” and “The Exorcism of Emily Rose”)
o Use
of a creepy/possessed doll (a la “Poltergeist” and “Child’s Play”)
o Creepy
sleepwalking sequences (think “Paranormal Activity” and even old school horror
flicks like “The Uninvited” and “I Walked With a Zombie”)
o Infanticide
(as in “Frailty,” “The Sixth Sense,” and “The Ring”)
o Animals/nature
attacking a house and family (“The Birds,” “The Omen,” “The Amityville Horror”)
o The
notion of “sticky” hauntings, wherein the characters can’t escape the
paranormal threat by simply leaving the premises (think “Insidious” and “The
Sixth Sense”).
o Hidden
compartments/cubbies in the house (“A Nightmare on Elm Street,” “Psycho)
o Invisible
grabbings by the spirit/demon (“Drag Me to Hell,” “Paranormal Activity”)
·
Its setting is the early 1970s in New England,
making it a period piece; it’s sometimes harder to criticize modern movies set
in the past; in this case, the film is tipping its cap to many classic horror
films made in the 1970s and 1960s, and is trying to remind us of that time
period by dating it to that era, evoking horror nostalgia.
·
It employs a nesting narrative (a story within a
story) with the flashback sequence about Annabelle the haunted doll, which
builds intrigue and creates a richer mythology around the story and its
affected characters.
·
It follows two parallel storylines: the Perron
family, and the Warren family, creating suspense/tension in our concern for the
safety of both parties. This is achieved via good casting and performances,
along with well-written roles and dialogue.
·
The story, as written, is a slow burner that
builds tension by establishing the characters and their predicament in its
first hour, then accelerating to full haunted house mode by the second hour. In
other words, it’s not terrifying from the first few moments; it tries to create
a plausible back story and introduce fairly well-rounded characters properly
first.
·
As reviewer Scott Tobias wrote: “(The Conjuring)
establishes the space extremely well. I know the layout of the Perron house as
if it were my own, and the effect for viewers is that they know the danger
areas, like the bedroom with the armoire of doom near the staircase, or the
secret cellar of doom off the kitchen. This adds that extra layer of tension
during those hid-and-go-clap games the Perrons like to play.”
·
The Conjuring also ratchets up the intrigue by
claiming it is based on a true story (even though the credibility of that story
and its sources are questionable; consider that Lorraine Warren has said the
events dramatized in the movie are vastly different from what actually
happened.) Even though this claim is deceptive (as is the claim that prefaces
“Texas Chainsaw Massacre” or “The Blair Witch Project”), it is still effective
at grabbing the audience. It’s also in keeping with the recent trend of many
horror films claiming that they are based on actual events (for example: “An
American Haunting”; “The Haunting in Connecticut”; and “The Possession.”)
·
Additionally, this is a rare example of a film
that was given an R rating, despite not having any nudity, profanity or
excessive graphic violence/gore, simply on the basis of being frightening. It
doesn’t resort to cheap shocks, slasher tactics or gross-out effects. Executive
producer Walter Hamada had publicly said that the MPAA told the filmmakers
“It’s just so scary. (There are) no specific scenes or tone that you could take
out to get it PG-13.”
·
While there are computer generated effects used
in the film, most of the tricks and effects are achieved in the camera, without
digital enhancement, lending old school cache to the picture.
·
The movie often relies on moments of unsettling
quiet and stillness to scare viewers, as well as creative framing techniques
(think about the scene where the demon appears on the edge of the frame as it
comes into Lili Taylor’s vision), instead of resorting to overused music
stings.
·
It also doesn’t try to end on a sudden jolt,
twist or cliffhanger in the last shot, as if to suggest a coming sequel.
Instead, there is resolution to the Perron family’s story, but not necessarily
to the Warren family’s story, creating a feeling of uncertainty and unsettled
emotion.
CAN YOU CITE ANY RELEVANT THEMES EXAMINED IN THIS FILM?
·
The American Dream turned into a nightmare: the
Perrons imagined their Rhode Island farmhouse as their dream home, but it gradually
turns into a house of horrors.
·
The power of love over evil, of functional
families (the Perrons) over dysfunctional families (Bathsheba’s family), and
the holy over the profane.
WHAT OTHER MOVIES DOES “THE CONJURING” REMIND YOU OF?
·
The Haunting (1963)
·
Poltergeist
·
The Changeling
·
The Exorcist
·
Psycho
OTHER FILMS DIRECTED BY JAMES WAN
·
Saw (2004)
·
Insidious (2011)
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