2016 Jul 1
by Akansha Naraindas
A review
Following its amusing release in the middle of Summer — a time when we’re all supposed to be watching movies about superheroes and giant robots. The Conjuring has been nothing but controversial all over social media, reportedly being scary enough to kill a person. Now, I’ve had my own fair share of shocks this week what with the UK leaving the EU, and the prolepsis of a recession underway in the UK, naturally I’d enjoy more scares.
However, being a survivor of this movie, I’d have to say the only thing scary about it was how good it was.
The good
Being the horror movie buff I am, I’ve had my fair share of horror movie experiences, from the greats like The Exorcist and Psycho to the not so great Chucky movies that never really scared anyone. Therefore, with The Conjuring id have to say that the movie itself was artfully created, if you are fond of the gothic eerie vibe usually presented in classical horror films, you may just enjoy this one. The Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Wilson and Farmiga) play their roles effectively, Wan develops their love story cinematically yet ensures this aspect does not overtake the horror element of the movie, yet lends as a sort of anticlimactic element for the unbearable horror. The horror itself is amusing yet genuinely disturbing at times, there were 4 horrific entities overall and the demon itself reminded me fondly of Marilyn Manson in a nun cosplay. Id say the disturbance didn’t linger amidst the overused horror movie elements of furniture moving and doors slamming but more over the realism of many aspects from the story recreating the real life incidents of the ghostly activity at the Enfield house which took place between 1977 and 1978 to the inclusion of the actual recording of the real Janet’s possession tape from 1976 during the credits at the end. For the typcal horror movie fan, this movie is the ultimate goldmine! I was spooked for days.
Why this movie may kill you
What really plunged me into watching this more than its effective marketing was actually the series of events that took place. On Tuesday, a 65-year-old man collapsed during the climax of The Conjuring 2, The man had complained of chest pains during the climactic scene, only to lose consciousness in his seat. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
Sure, it could be a coincidence, but here’s the weird part: hospital employees claim they have no idea what happened to the man’s body, which went missing after.
Interestingly, the odd death is just the latest in a string of strange events surrounding the release of The Conjuring 2, the most common of which are claims that viewers have left the theater only to return to haunted homes.
On Jun 10, one man claimed that he’d returned from a screening of the film only to discover that a fresh cross had manifested across his hotel bathroom’s mirror.
Naturally, me being the sceptic I am, saw these gimmicky publicity stunts and scorned them whilst making jokes with my friend about watching it after A levels in the hope that it may kill us before results come out.
But in all truth the movie was actually incredibly disturbing. It is psychologically scarring and Wan must be prided for his skilled direction. The movie is such that it allows for the possibility that everything happening on screen in the minds of the people experiencing it, enabling us to experience it with them. The main strength of The Conjuring 2 is that it doesn’t pull its punches. When the entity comes, there’s no backing off; it’s really coming for you. Watching the movie was unreal, you actually do lose track of reality with its countless sometimes-dizzying scenes involving what could be lucid dreaming, sleep paralysis, or something seriously paranormal.
Whilst watching, my door slammed shut (purely coincidental I doubt it had anything to do with the movie) and I genuinely feared for my life at this point. It takes a lot for a movie to get me to this juncture, so kudos.
But I am still alive, naturally, I wrote this review.
Word of advice though, those with a weak stomach and with not much experience or exposure to horror movies should stay well away from this one. The experience honestly isn’t worth it and could potentially be damaging to one’s health.
