[5.8/10] *The Conjuring* is a series of good scares in search of a good movie. If you’re after empty calories that will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up, then you’re in for a good time, but if you’re interested in things like character, or dialogue, or anything beyond a good spook, you’ll mostly be hunting for scraps. They’re good scares though! They almost hold the movie up. Whether it’s characters being pulled across the screen as though moved by some invisible force, or blurry figures in the distance moving unnervingly but never able to be fully discerned, or the images of pale corpses hanging over one’s shoulder as perceived from beyond the grave, the film knows how to deliver a good frightening sequence. The problem is there’s next to no one worth caring about in any of those sequences. At best, all of the characters are archetypes, with only the faintest hint of shading to give them a little personality. The main characters, such as they are, are Ed and Lorraine Warren, a pair of “demonologists” who take various “cases” of hauntings and try to solve them. There’s not much to them beyond a generic “the last time we tried this, you ended up bad shape” emotional subplot that’s handled as clumsily and obviously as a ghost knocking around in the basement. Then there’s the Perron family, a mom, dad, and five daughters who recently moved into a haunted house when things start going creepily wrong. Roger Perron is a standard father character, roaming around as flat as can be, and Carolyn Perron is just as generic of a mom, with no discernible characteristics beyond the fact that she loves her children (which is, apparently, something so novel that the film takes great pains to tell the audience about it in no uncertain terms, because we couldn’t understand the concept of a parent loving their child without the movie holding our hand throughout). Those children she love so much are five indistinguishable, undifferentiated daughters. The oldest one is generically sullen and sarcastic, but otherwise they’re just props for *The Conjuring* to place in various scary situations and have them scream or gasp or call out in terror. They’re flanked by a barely there cop, an assistant, and the Warrens’ own daughter, all of whom are little more than sentient window dressing. The “based on a true story” tale sees mysterious things happening around the Perrons’ house, which naturally leads them to consult with the Warrens. From there, there’s the standard “there’s an evil entity here” business, with the ghosthunting crew digging up the convoluted history of the place where, shock of shocks, some grisly events happened in the past. The instigating event (spoiler warning, boys and girls) is a murdered Salem witch who possesses women to have them kill their children. The intention of this motif is clear and solid, with this witch (subtly named “Bathsheba”) finding particular resonance with the clairvoyant Lorraine, who sees visions of her daughter’s death, and Carolyn who is, inevitably, the one who actually gets possessed by the evil spirit. The rub is that *The Conjuring* hammers this point home again and again, to where the possession of Carolyn is as predictable as its solution. But if you’re not walking into the theater because you care about story or character, *The Conjuring* can be a lot of fun. The cinematography is an integral part of the film, using unique perspective shots to give the appearance of something just beyond the frame, doing *Vertigo*-style zooms, and turning things upside down or using tracking shots to convey movement and uneasy situations. The cameraman is arguably the most interesting and active character in the film, feeling like a real presence that gives the movie what grace it can muster. The other side of the coin is that the movie is just too much. It doesn’t just feature a few interesting instances of hauntings. It gives you every haunting cliché you’ve ever seen. There’s dead dogs. There’s dead birds. There’s gnarled old ladies. There’s creepy little kids. There’s people floating. There’s people sleepwalking. There’s pictures falling off walls. There’s mysterious cellars. There’s crazy laughs. There’s creepy dolls. There’s snarling and cackling and garble-voiced threats. If you’ve seen a haunted house movie before, chances are whatever dramatic scare you witnessed has been stapled into *The Conjuring* somehow. The same goes for that engrossing cinematography. While the occasional long take or flipped perspective can add juice to an otherwise stock scenario and setting, the omnipresent use of all that showiness can make a scene feel too busy rather than the desired level of chaotic, like director of photography John R. Leonetti is throwing everything on the wall and seeing what sticks. The same goes for Joseph Bishara’s score, which tells you exactly what you should be feeling and when you should be feeling it in a similarly over the top fashion. It was also striking to me to discovery that *The Conjuring* was directed by James Wan, soon to join the D.C. Extended Universe film with his upcoming *Aquaman* feature, because all of that “more is more” visual styling and tin-eared dialogue made me think of one man, who’s also dabbled in the horror genre before jumping to superheroes -- Zack Snyder. It’s not just the presence of *Watchmen*’s Patrick Wilson here; everything from the alternating washed out and then high-contrast colors to all the usual sound and fury signifying nothing. But again, it’s good sound and fury. On a pure pound-for-pound basis, *The Conjuring* knows how to make you sit up and take notice of all the ways it’s trying to creep you out, and that’s certainly worth something. It’s just a shame that all the creativity that goes into breathing these (admittedly stock) scenarios to life in terms of the effects and the visuals doesn’t translate to crafting any characters worth giving a damn about, or creating an arc that doesn’t rely on the standard beats and clichés. You’re bound to remember *The Conjuring*’s creepy moments when you’re falling asleep at night, but you’ll quickly forget the rest of the movie.

Watching The Conjuring for the first time, I thought it was the perfect example of atmospheric horror. It’s not overly gory, relying instead on a steady buildup of tension and anticipation. It feels like a classic exorcism story. The final half hour was outstanding. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, as Ed and Lorraine Warren, absolutely stole the spotlight.

[French + English] 🇬🇧🇺🇸 The Conjuring (2013), directed by James Wan, continues the director’s exploration of horror after Saw and Insidious. The movie features the Warren couple, real-life paranormal investigators whose cases have already inspired some movie adaptations. From the prologue, the movie plunges us into the story of the Annabelle doll, which sets the tone and begins the creation of a connected cinematic universe. The story follows a family moving into an old farmhouse in Rhode Island, where classic horror movie phenomena appear quickly: doors slamming, footsteps, objects falling mysteriously, and violent nighttime awakenings of the youngest daughter, Cindy. As the story progresses, the threat grows: the demonic entity infiltrates the house and increasingly attacks the family, preventing them from sleeping and tormenting them relentlessly. Cornered, the family contacts Ed and Lorraine Warren. He is a demonologist, she is a medium and clairvoyant. Together, they try to free the family from this evil presence. However, the couple of paranormal investigators is not really the main focus. The true protagonist of the movie is the house itself and the entity haunting it, which occupies a central place in the story. This approach gives the movie a unique identity: rather than relying only on hero characters, James Wan makes the space, the house, a real narrative entity. Every corridor, room, and dark corner becomes a place of tension, reinforced by precise staging where the camera glides and moves like a ghost inside the house. It explores the corridors, moves around the characters, and plays on anticipation, strengthened by silences and sound effects that gradually lead to a peak of tension. The horror is not only based on sudden appearances or easy jump scares but on a tension that rises gradually. The house sometimes feels claustrophobic due to tight shots on a wall or corner, then in the next scene it opens from another angle, showing dark areas where an apparition could appear at any moment. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, who play Ed and Lorraine Warren, both seem born for these roles. The actors show a real chemistry. Vera Farmiga probably has the best scenes, using her face and breathing to convey emotions very effectively. Ron Livingston and Lili Taylor bring the audience’s questions into the story, and we quickly put ourselves in their place, which helps us identify with their situation. In conclusion, The Conjuring is an excellent horror movie, one of the best in recent years. It does not rely only on jump scares to frighten, but focuses on atmosphere and camera work to create constant tension. It combines suspense, a dark atmosphere, and a classic but convincing narrative. 🇫🇷 The Conjuring (2013), réalisé par James Wan, poursuit l’exploration de l’horreur du cinéaste après Saw et Insidious. Le film met en scène le couple Warren, enquêteurs paranormaux ayant réellement existé et dont certaines affaires ont déjà inspiré des adaptations au cinéma. Dès le prologue, l’œuvre nous plonge dans l’affaire de la poupée Annabelle, qui sert d’introduction à l’ambiance du film et amorce la construction d’un univers cinématographique connecté. L’histoire suit une famille qui emménage dans une vieille ferme du Rhode Island, où apparaissent rapidement les phénomènes classiques du cinéma d’horreur : portes qui claquent, bruits de pas, objets qui chutent mystérieusement, ainsi que les réveils nocturnes violents de la plus jeune des filles, Cindy. Au fil du récit, la menace grandit : l’entité démoniaque s’infiltre dans la maison et s’en prend de plus en plus violemment à la famille, les empêchant de dormir et les malmenant sans relâche. Acculés, les occupants finissent par contacter Ed et Lorraine Warren. Lui est démonologue, elle médium et clairvoyante : ensemble, ils tenteront de délivrer la famille de cette présence malveillante. Cependant, le couple de chasseurs de phénomènes paranormaux n’est pas réellement placé au premier plan. Le véritable protagoniste du film reste la maison elle-même et l’entité qui la hante, occupant une place centrale dans la narration. Cette approche donne au film une identité particulière : plutôt que de s’appuyer uniquement sur des personnages-héros, James Wan choisit de faire de l’espace, la maison, une véritable entité narrative. Chaque couloir, chaque pièce, chaque recoin obscur devient un lieu de tension, renforcé par une mise en scène millimétrée ou la caméra glisse et se déplace comme un spectre à l’intérieur de la maison. Elle explore les couloirs, contourne les personnages et joue sur l’attente renforcé par les silences et les effets sonores qui conduisent progressivement au pic de tension. L’horreur ne repose pas seulement sur des apparitions brutales ou des sursauts faciles, mais sur une tension qui monte progressivement. La maison paraît parfois étouffante grâce à des plans serrés sur un mur ou un coin, puis, dans la scène suivante, elle s’ouvre sous un autre angle, laissant apparaître des zones sombres où une apparition pourrait surgir à tout instant. Patrick Wilson et Vera Farmiga qui incarnent Ed et Lorraine Warren semble tous les deux nées pour ces deux rôles. Les acteurs semblent avoir une vraie complicité. Vera Farmiga bénéficie sans doute des meilleures scènes, jouant énormément sur les émotions qu’elle parvient à transmettre à travers son visage et son souffle. Ron Livingston et Lili Taylor apportent au récit les questions du spectateur et nous nous mettons rapidement à leur place et facilite l’identification a leur situation. En conclusion, The Conjuring est un excellent film d’horreur, l’un des meilleurs de ces dernières années. Il ne repose pas uniquement sur des jump scares pour effrayer, mais s’attarde sur l’ambiance et les jeux de caméra pour installer une tension constante. Il combine suspense, atmosphère sombre et une narration classique mais convaincante.

é isso né não comprem casas assombradas!

Ça a marché pour moi au début, mais j’ai trouvé la fin un peu nulle, il y avait beaucoup de choses en même temps, ça partait dans tous les sens

Non è altro se non roba vista e rivista che oggi risulta particolarmente noiosa. Infatti questo film mi ha annoiato tantissimo e di horror non c'era granché.

Overhyped, but still a decent story. Probably won't watch it again.