Movie Review
Review The Conjuring 2
It's rare anymore that I find a well-made, enjoyable horror movie.
Flicks like Paranormal Activity, It Follows, and anything directed by
Rob Zombie have somehow become the acceptable standard for horror.
Yawn. I didn't watch any trailers or read anything about the plot of
The Conjuring 2 and I didn't expect much from it.
It's been seven years since Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) and her
husband, Ed (Patrick Wilson), helped The Perron family with their
haunted Rhode Island house. When Lorraine has a premonition of a
terrifying demonic force threatening to kill Ed, she decides they
cannot investigate anymore to keep him safe. Across the pond in
Enfield, England, the Hodgson family is being terrorized by the angry
spirit of an old man named Bill (Bob Adrian). The eleven-year-old Janet
(Madison Wolfe) seems to be the focus of all the hubbub and the primary
victim of Bill's rage. When the police come by one night, after a
particularly scary attack, and witness supernatural activity
themselves, the Hodgon's soon find themselves in the middle of a media
firestorm about their haunted home. The church sends Ed and Lorraine to
England to confirm the authenticity of the case despite Lorraine's
hesitance and worries about Ed's safety.
The plot
was good and scares were well-paced throughout the whole movie. The
movie was long over 2 hours and I never got bored. Sequels of horror genre have always been cursed to turn out poor yet
director James Wan manages to set his bar as compelling as the first
one; though not critically-acclaimed but overall a satisfying scare
without blood and gore. There was no nudity, swearing or gratuitous gore. Not that I'm a prude
- I don't mind that stuff - but I know that bothers some people. So if
a family with teen-aged kids want to see a really good horror flick,
you don't have to be worried about anyone being mortified over nude
scenes and/or sex. Also,it doesn't matter if you haven't seen the first "Conjuring" movie,
so don't let that hold you back.
The few negative things that bugged me while watching this
are : throughout the movie, everyone seems to sleep like the dead, and
loud noises, voices, crashes, etc., mostly don't wake anyone, even
while sleeping in the same room as the disturbance. This trend begins
at the start of the movie and it's continued throughout and it
repeatedly pulled me out of the whole experience. The basement in the
Hodgson residence is partially flooded and no one seems to find it
strange or problematic. At one point it's raining and water is rushing
in down some sort of trough. The whole basement area seems very
unnatural. I'm not familiar with British housing, especially of the
70s, so I kept wondering if this was for plot-convenience and to make
it more creepy, or if it is historically accurate and normal.
Patrick Wilson & Vera Farmiga return as paranormal
investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren & they deliver remarkably. Its the
strength of their performances that push 'The Conjuring 2' to further
success. Frances O'Connor as the mother under torment, is fabulous Madison Wolfe performs superbly in her role as a teenager who faces complexities
in her daily life due to being constantly possessed. Her acting quality
is similar to that of Natalie Portman in Leon: The Professional (
1994 ) only in a creepier version. The way Wolfe plays with her eerie
demonic glances, lip movements and limbs as she exudes the voice of a
grumpy 70-year-old man sends shivers down the spine.
Overall, "The Conjuring 2" was better then I expected it to be. I liked the first movie, which wasn't perfect, but was a good horror movie. Before watching the movie I had doubts that they probably won't achieve the success of the first movie. I was wrong. It is as good as the original.
Overall, "The Conjuring 2" was better then I expected it to be. I liked the first movie, which wasn't perfect, but was a good horror movie. Before watching the movie I had doubts that they probably won't achieve the success of the first movie. I was wrong. It is as good as the original.
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