Review of The Conjuring 2 (2016) by Stellarnomad — 27 Jul 2016

I usually like to take a mediator approach in all things: a recognition that there is always two, or more, sides to everything and you only possess a part of the puzzle. In this case I change my mind.

The Conjuring 2 isn't genius, scary, interesting, fresh, horrific or any other overblown descriptor people care to toss around so haphazardly. It is, however, a cliched look into a complete non-event that took place in 70's England regarding a poor, single-mother family and some imaginative children desperate for attention.

Why the powers that be chose to revolve this series of films around a dubious duo, known as the Warrens and well known to sceptics, giving them a credibility they don't deserve, is obvious. Plenty of tall tales to fictionalise further based off of their "case studies". Terms such as "based on" and "inspired by" should be taken as Hollywood shorthand for: we take a few of the interesting parts, jazz them up and make up the rest. In this context I would have preferred they simply created a fresh, fictional set of investigators and have them attempt to resolve each of these otherworldly experiences - an updated X-Files, if you will.

That aside, you get a pretty straight forward yarn that gives you several ghosts of the week packed into the one film. The warrens are presented as prettier versions: altruistic, god-fearing, loving people who can't understand why people criticise their work. The family are serviceable as public housing tenants suddenly thrust into creepy events.

Beyond this, I don't have much else to say about the film. I was never scared by the overdone premise, the ghosts were all typical types you've seen before, and the resolution is as absurd as ever--we know its name therefore we win. Aren't we tired of ghosts, zombies, vampires and demons yet? I guess not.

I appreciate this genre for its ability to get under my skin, and provide different perspectives. If done properly it can achieve anything from simmering unease to heart-racing terror, whilst forcing us to focus on issues we would rather not. Horror has long been a vehicle for social commentary, but films like The Conjuring 2 have nothing to say beyond Box Office.