The Conjuring 2

The Conjuring 2

This is a GREAT movie and is theater worthy!

                While this film has its flaws it’s still a James Wan horror film . . . meaning it is absolutely theater worthy! I will warn you though, it is very long, especially for a horror movie. In fact, according to IMDB, this is James Wan’s longest horror movie yet at well over two hours long.

               

             

Amityville

          We see the story open to the case which garnered the Warren’s national attention, the Amityville horror house! If you know the story of their visit and of the famous Amityville Warren photo with the little boy in it then you may know of what to expect as I did. Once the set up at Amityville is complete we then find ourselves over 1,000 miles away in 1970’s London. The creative team did a great job of recreating the English 70s culture with the music, the look of recession (accurate for the time period), and the fact that everyone and their “mums” is enjoying a fag (British slang for cigarette, just to be clear). This is where most of the movie takes place and it ends up being the perfect setting for such a horror story. It’s damp, dark, stormy on the regular, and not to mention an immense amount of fog at night! Now besides the setting there were a few more things that stood out to make this movie truly theater worthy, even withstanding some of the major flaws it holds. There’s the suspense, the use of dual stories in the same film, the different and unique techniques used to scare you, along with a few negative aspects.

James Wan (right)

          The suspense was by far the best part of the film. James Wan is like a magician. With a little slide of hand with his camera, shifting your focus in every direction but the one you should be, he can build the suspense like no one else filming today. For the first 40 or so minutes of the film you are completely tense and waiting for the next scare that when you do find the first break in the suspense you feel absolutely drained. It’s the sign of amazing filming.

           What also stood out was the use of dual stories in the same film. There’s the Nun haunting that the Warrens have to deal with along with the Enfield haunting that the Hodgson’s had to suffer through. While the Enfield haunting is the main story both are able to build themselves individually of each other. Eventually these two stories come together somewhat like in Insidious 3 and form a special twist you’re sure to enjoy.

                                                                There were a few techniques that were extra cool, especially for this kind of film. One of these techniques is used during the first interview between Ed Warren and the entity. The other is used towards the end while Ed searches for the entity. Both techniques utilize a lack of focus to achieve the effect of blurred vision in two different yet equally disturbing ways. While using the camera to create a sense of blurred vision has become a calling card of sorts for James Wan horror, along with his scoring, these two techniques were beautifully executed and horrifyingly effective!

           Now, speaking of his scoring of the film, there were a few things off with this “Wan”…poor attempt at some “punny” humor. One of the problems had to do with the musical selection. While the music all fits the time period there are a few songs which, in my opinion, don’t fit the film very well. Now the scoring itself wasn’t bad but it felt a bit more like Insidious rather than The Conjuring.

          On that note there were a few things that made this sequel to The Conjuring feel a bit like some sort of sequel to the Insidious series (both by James Wan, both starring Patrick Wilson, it could happen). Besides the scoring there was also some whistling which was very reminiscent of the Insidious films. Especially the of the original. Most striking though was the sudden use of plain travel. That is, traveling to another plain of existence other than that of our own. Because this hasn’t happened in The Conjuring or Annabelle, yet is a staple feature of the Insidious series, it just feels that with the creative team doing this in The Conjuring 2, in a sense, muddies the waters a bit. The Conjuring was much more grounded, less fantastical, while Insidious was the very definition of fantastical. It just seems to take away from what made The Conjuring what it was and what made Insidious what it was, respectfully.

            

          The worst negative about the film was an entity called The Crooked Man. He was indeed ghastly but not very Wan worth. Based off of the old nursery rhyme this Crooked Man character moves like a claymation character would and looks like something out of a Tim Burton movie rather than a Wan horror film. While unsettling his character came off as somewhat goofy. Took away from the continuity of horror.

          Other than that there were but a few small short comings. One being the actual exorcism. It was over in the blink of an eye and not nearly as climatic as the original had been. Now, that might be because they were exercising the spirit of a witch in The Conjuring original while they are fighting something completely different here in The Conjuring 2. Plus, and there was really no way around this due to the setting of the film, but hearing a ghost speak with a thick English accent, no matter how insidious the spirit was, this particular American (me) couldn’t help but chuckle at it. While it couldn’t be helped it did disrupt the illusion of the film and that, no matter how you look at it, is a negative.

               

          On the positive the movie doesn’t waste a lot of time getting your horror juices flowing. There’s early acknowledgement by the kids and even some of the adults of the entity. In true Wan style the disturbances don’t take long to affect those it’s latched on to not only at night but during the day as well. James Wan has a special way of just ripping off that safety blanket of daylight away from you, leaving you bare with no safe place awaiting you in the film, not allowing a moments peace until the very end.

          Something I really love, especially since it’s based off of a true story, is that it, the entity, isn’t shy about revealing itself. It tends to reveals itself to all who will pay attention to it. To neighbors, cops, even in front of TV cameras, it lets itself be witnessed by many and surpasses the whole “you must be crazy” phase. It’s quite refreshing actually. There’s also a lot of great humor from Patrick Wilson, playing Ed Warren. It’s mostly through his dry and sarcastic expressions than from the lines themselves, but he does the delivery so well. He provides just enough humor to lighten your mind . . . right before the next…big…BOO!

          While it doesn’t have the same feeling throughout the film as The Conjuring, or Annabelle, it still is more so a Conjuring sequel than anything else and I can live with that. With the Crooked Man character, some of the musical choices, and the traveling to different plains it is a far cry from the original. However, it is still an amazing sequel and horror film in its own right. Just wait for the Nun in the study scene, it’ll be sure to curl those hairs upon the back of your necks! And like the original the ending credits focus on the real life people using their actual photographs. It’s a nice final touch and wraps up the movie nicely. My favorite quote for the movie came from Ed and I believe it sums up the movie quite well. “We don’t run from fights” … and they don’t. 

Enjoy!