Review of The Conjuring (2013) by Luke K — 30 Oct 2015
James Wan has shown with films like Saw and Insidious that he understands horror and how to breathe freshness into a genre that is becoming exhausted and overbearing, and The Conjuring is his best film to date.
Directed with a stylistic flare and engaging aesthetic that is lacking in his other features, this period piece is captivating from its chilling opening scene (unfortunately inspiring a far less effective film in Annabelle) and has some truly terrifying sequences throughout, where Wan shows that he knows exactly when to show the audience something and when to leave it to their imagination. The cinematography and visual aesthetic is rich in character, and the sound design (including music choices, score and creative use of silence) is used to great effect in building tension and eliciting horror.
The entire cast deliver great performances (even the children), and Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga shine in their roles as real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren.
The Conjuring confirms that James Wan is someone to watch within modern horror, breathing freshness into a cliche premise and truly showing how in building suspense and anxiety, less is more.
This review of The Conjuring (2013) was written by Luke K on 30 Oct 2015.
The Conjuring has generally received very positive reviews.
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