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Friday, July 19, 2013

The Conjuring

I know, most of you are used to me writing about the worst films ever made, with the occasional political rant. So.....this is different. This is a conversation about my experience with a current, albeit conventional horror film, The Conjuring. I want to present a few spoiler alerts:
a) I liked the film, and will mention that ad nauseum (though my buddy Joe P. found it a HUGE letdown).
b) I liked Mama, from Del Toro, a lot more, for myriad reasons, only one of which I will mention.
The Conjuring is James Wan's new tale of a family plagued by an other-worldly force; it plays a lot like Sinister or Mama or the director's prior film, Insidious. There are a number of spoiler elements that I can reveal which effect the plot, but I won't. I'll leave that to my wife, who will more than likely bring them up. But I do want to touch on a few key points.
Siblings: DelToro gets something that Wan hasn't yet grasped: siblings, no matter their middling conflicts, stick together. A film with 5 sisters who never go out on a limb for each other highlights the lack of character development for the main/secondary characters in a story. Wan fails, in two hours, to grasp the connection these sisters might have with each other. Mama, however, navigates this relationship brilliantly. I do want to mention that this was "based on a true story". I still find the lack of a kindred bond a bit troubling.
Defying the norm: Wan uses old horror cliches against the viewer, to set up what he feels are legitimate scares. The problem? The audience is unfortunately ready for what comes next. Example: If someone in a horror film stares in a lake too long, you would expect them to be snatched by something in the water. Or grabbed from behind. Wan allows this to be the regular backdrop, relying on panning through a screen to reveal the true horror lurking in the dark. I get it, as there's less and less to frighten people with in a film. However, I could direct you to the recent films of Ti West, House of the Devil, or The Innkeepers, which are not only available on streaming sites for "free", but really capture true intensity and anxiety, while presenting old scenarios as revived/new film.
I can't tell you to avoid this film, as it's very good. I mean it. However, it left me wanting more.It definitely didn't match the excitement or hype; however, I've watched a LOT of horror films. This one sits in the top 20% for me. But Insidious, for all its flaws, was a well-structured, brilliantly-paced gem of a horror flick, and is FAR superior. I may have even liked Dead Silence a bit more...The Conjuring only made me long for the Insidious sequel (due in 2 months).