Old Haunted House, New Hair-raising Horror

Film: The Conjuring

Director: James Wan

Ask any horror-film enthusiast and he will tell you to be a little cautious when a title has the word ‘Ring’ in it. And in the case of James Wan’s The Conjuring, they would be right. Based on an incident in the US in the 1970s, the film manages to, forgive the expression, scare the living s**t out of you.

Ed and Lorraine Warren are world renowned paranormal investigators, who are called to help a family terrorized by a dark presence at a secluded farm house. Forced to confront this demonic entity, the Warrens find themselves caught in the midst of the most horrifying case they would ever handle. Unlike the assembly line horror films, The Conjuring manages to create a living connection between its characters (who are more than mere sacrificial lambs in its narrative) and the audience.

By letting the camera linger on the dark portions of the frame and letting the imagination do most of the scaring, Wan assumes a high position as a storyteller and then, manages to make you jump out of your seat with the sound of a single clap. The film cashes on the fear of the unknown and only gradually reveals the imminent threat, letting the audience assume worse things than the film could have shown.

Once it reels you in, and has you wondering whether now is a right time to get your coffee refilled, it descends into playing out more conventional methods of scaring you — the creaking doors, woman in white and sudden loud noises. To some extent, as a character gets possessed by the evil spirit, the film’s narrative also gets possessed by the damned souls of almost every haunted-house film cliche.

Leading the audience to fear by cheating them always defeats the purpose of a horror film. But The Conjuring manages to steer clear of predictability in an almost Hitchcock-like suspense form. Time and again, Wan and his team manage to spring moments on the screen that make the entire cinema hall gasp for breath in unison. In addition, the most neglected element of this genre, the acting also works in its favour. Right from the five kids to the lead duo of Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson, the performances are more than adequate.

Finally, for the litmus test of a horror film: The Conjuring will affect your following night’s sleep. It will make you listen for sounds you don’t normally hear, terrify you when you see some suspicious movement, keep you away from lakes, big houses, dark rooms and mirrors for a while. And most importantly, remember not to hold hot coffee in your hand during tense moments.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Published in DNA (Pune) on August 3, 2013