BLOOD WORK: HALLOWEEN HORROR DAYS ~ DAY 21: THE CONJURING (2013)

There are classic horror movies out there that set the bar for their era and time, untouchable in their time and place in cinema history. When researching through the horror films of yesterday any new films I discover are weighed against these standards. These films are what you might think they are: Black Sunday, Night of the Living Dead, and Rosemary's Baby to name only a few from the 1960's. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, and The Exorcist to name a few for the 70's. Hellraiser, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Poltergeist to name a few in the 80's. These are only a tiny few of the high marks for horror cinema in my opinion. There are, of course, many many more on those lists.

During this modern era of horror filmmaking there are two films that I view as the standards to which all others are weighed against. One of them, the 2013 film THE EVIL DEAD, is the movie I use to compare and contrast levels of gore and intensity of violence. I love that movie, even as I love the original Evil Dead films, albeit both very different tones.

The second modern horror standard, in my opinion is THE CONJURING. In terms of pure suspense and genuine scares very few films beyond 2013 have matched The Conjuring. Of course this is all in my opinion. What's scary is different for everybody. But trust me when I say that the Conjuring is pretty good. Directed by James Wan, the man responsible for several notable horror films such as SAW, DEAD SILENCE, and INSIDIOUS. Over the course of his career, James Wan seems to have refined his horror craft, each successive film being better than the last. James Wan took a huge leap forward with Insidious, which feels like the beta test for The Conjuring. Insidious parallels The Conjuring in many ways, the latter improving upon the weaknesses present in the former resulting in one of the best horror films of its kind.

THE PLOT

The Perron family has just moved into a new house. Overtime they begin noticing strange things happening in their house, seeing and hearing things that aren't there, and experiencing sulfurous smells. Life for the Perrons only grows worse as whatever is in the house begins attacking the children and the mother. Desperate to find help, the Perrons seek out Ed and Lorraine Warren, demonologists and all around good people. The Warrens agree to help and venture to the Perrons' home to exorcise the evil spirits within.

WHAT I LIKED

Suspense. Perhaps the one aspect of this film that allows it to succeed beyond its peers, in my opinion, is in the building of tension and execution of suspense. This film doesn't rely on over the top gore effects, overly exaggerated and fantastic sequences, nor in-your-face intensity (which are good things in themselves when done right). The Conjuring builds natural scares for very real and relatable scenarios, either twisting a children's game such as "Hide and Go Clap," the corruption of a children's toy, or seeing something nightmarish in the shadows. The sources of suspense and tension (while ultimately being supernatural in origin) play on our own real fears. This is the core strength of the film, all the other elements feeding into it.

The Music and Sound Design. Joseph Bishara is the film's composer, a frequent collaborator with James Wan on his horror films. His eerie and unnerving score here is one piece in the "Suspense" mechanism and I'd argue a vital piece. Bishara provided the film scores for both of the Insidious films, and while I'd argue those scores are far more frightening than his efforts on the Conjuring, I feel the more subdued score here was perfect for The Conjuring's tone. Then there's the sound effects, the stark silence, the echoes of clapping in the middle of the night, and the sound of twisting rope. They may not sound like anything particularly scary here, but they are wonderfully employed in the film, making your heart race when you hear them.

Annabelle and Bathsheba. The film opens with a completely different story unrelated to central plot, a story involving the cursed doll, Annabelle (James Wan perfecting his scary dolls from Dead Silence perhaps?), and holy cow is that doll scary! Afterwards Annabelle is seeded here and there, and every time she appears she's the scariest thing on screen. Then there's the central evil entity of Bathsheba, brought to terrifying life by the film's composer, Joseph Bishara. In addition to providing terrifying scores, Bishara often portrays demons or monsters in James Wan's films. His portrayal of Bathsheba isn't quite Pazuzu-Regan level scary but it is very close. This film has scary imagery in spades.

And lastly there's the actors: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Lilly Taylor, and a talented cast of young actors. They all bring great performances to the film making the story more compelling and realistic.

NITPICKS

I know its terrible to say but I don't really have any nitpicks. I know I should but I don't. If I had to really stretch for a nitpick I'd say the film doesn't do enough to earn its R rating. One of the most shocking elements of The Exorcist was the sheer graphic depravity present in the demon. While I think the film is fine the way it is, given its R rating it had latitude to do more. It could've really gone for the throat during those final moments, but it showed restraint rather than excess. For certain films I feel the excess employed is a must, while others (like Jaws) show how restraint can work for a film's benefit, which I feel is ultimately the case here. For a while I thought the Conjuring was PG-13 and I still think it should be... and that's okay.

THE VERDICT

For me personally, The Conjuring is a benchmark in modern horror cinema. For a haunted house/possession film, the movie hits all the right marks. Deftly building tension, maintaining suspense remarkably well, and delivering genuine scares, The Conjuring stands as my current standard for judging new horror films in terms of suspense and supernatural scares, but not in terms of gore and sheer intensity of experience (that honor belongs to another film coincidentally from 2013 also). Great acting, music, and some genuinely frightening characters have made The Conjuring a new classic of the genre, in my opinion.