THE CONJURING

The blueprint to ‘How to Make an Exorcism Film’ has been rolled out yet again. Start off with a bit of haunting and when the actual possession occurs, take two aspirins and call the local paranormal investigators. Based on a true story, the movie takes place in 1971 Rhode Island, the Perron family has just relocated to a huge property with a spooky old house and needless to say paranoia, panic and peeing-in-pants ensues. The actors, Wilson and Farmiga are first-rate. Even Lili Taylor and Ron Livingston who are known for their comedic roles give the film the necessary gravitas. The cinematographer manages to maintain the creepy vibe throughout the film especially the shots where the only lighting is from a matchstick flame. Filmmaker James Wan is better known for giving audiences the string of Saw movies. Wan then tried his hand in the serious drama genre with Death Sentence (2007), which in my opinion is a little gem of an independent film. But alas Wan didn’t stay away from his horror roots for too long because after releasing Insidious (2010) he follows it up by making yet another movie about a family moving to a new house and then getting possessed by an unsavory entity. Like every Hollywood film based on a true story, the factual credibility is questionable. The film’s primary focus should have been on the lives of the investigators and not the Perron family. What’s worse than copying another director’s movie? Copying your own movie! Although the film provides a few goose bumps it’s still a by-the-numbers horror/ exorcism flick. Wan needs to exorcise that ‘unimaginative demon’ pronto!

Rating: 5/10

S. V. Fernando