If you happen to follow director James Wan (@creepypuppet) or any of The Conjuring's official social media accounts, you'll find a short promotional featurette about Wan's desire to shatter every misconception about studio-made horror films. There seems to be an egregious preconceived notion that horror movies produced outside the indie scene these days have no merit or nothing new to offer a genre whose fans have seemingly become impervious to shock value. Most horror fans could probably agree, however, that if there's one mainstream filmmaker who we can always count on to make us shake in our boots, it's James Wan. Therefore, I am thrilled to report that The Conjuring 2 not only continues Wan's run of solid horror outings but also represents one of the best sequels (horror or otherwise) that the studio system has produced in the 21st century.
The Conjuring 2 is inspired by the true story of the highly-publicized "Enfield Poltergeist" case which unfolded in the late 1970s on the north side of London, England. In the film, 11-year-old Janet Hodgson (Madison Wolfe) plays conduit to the ghost of a disgruntled old man who once lived in the Hodgson's home. She speaks in his voice and often sees him around the house. Janet's mother Peggy (Frances O'Connor), their neighbors, and even the police don't believe her until they witness firsthand some of the paranormal activity occurring in the house. The spirit becomes so hostile that the church calls upon American ghost hunters Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, respectively, with endearing chemistry) to investigate. What happens next pushes the Warrens to the brink by challenging not only their specialized skills but their faith in God and each other as well.
It would be easy to criticize the film for deviating too far from the actual events and for effectively "Hollywood-izing" the true story for the purposes of making a more exciting horror movie out of it. But strictly as a mainstream horror picture, The Conjuring 2 couldn't be better constructed. It's a technical marvel with impeccable cinematography and evocative camera movement, particularly in the film's first reel. Wan manipulates the camera to make the opening scene at a famous Long Island Dutch Colonial feel like the waking nightmare that it is for Lorraine. In turn, the audience empathizes with her almost immediately, and thus that empathy is effortlessly carried into the rest of the film. Wan also likes to use long takes to establish the spaces that his main characters occupy. In the first Conjuring, we followed Carolyn around almost the entire house to get the feeling that the Perron home is a warm, lived-in space dominated by the laughter of the girls and the closeness of family. This made it that much scarier when the ghouls and ghosties turned up to wreck it all. It also lends stakes to the screams once they begin so that even the lamest jump scare doesn't feel completely superfluous. All of this rings true for The Conjuring 2 as well. The Hodgson residence feels a bit colder than that of the Perrons', but the audience still understands that this is a home populated by characters we care about. Home is our domain. Home is where we are always meant to feel safe, and nothing can be more terrifying than when someone, or something, jeopardizes the sanctity of home and family with unwaveringly evil intentions.
That's the root of the horror in these Conjuring movies, and it's why they're so scary. The Conjuring 2 definitely feels bigger and badder than its predecessor in that department. Whether that's a good or bad thing depends on how you like your horror - slow-burning or big and in-your-face with occasional slow-burning scenes. I typically enjoy the slow-burners myself, but it's hard not to admire the big stuff too when it's this well-executed. Even when things get absolutely ridiculous (that is, too "Hollywood" to be totally acceptable), the film relishes the silliness too, like when the cops bolt out of the Hodgson house after watching the kitchen chair move on its own. It's also hard not to snicker and shake your head at the slam-bang climax, but that's all part of the fun!
The terror of The Conjuring 2 starts right from the very beginning and rarely lets up, save for conversations and character moments that push the story forward. The best thing about this is that plenty of those conversations and character moments are actually pretty freaky too. For example, when Lorraine meets Janet for the first time on the swings in the backyard, Janet offers a deadly omen. The film also features its share of jump scares. No James Wan movie is complete without them. Curiously, however, they work more often than not. Even if you think you can see or feel it coming from a mile away, each jump feels like a natural evolution of the scene it's in. Variety's Owen Gleiberman wrote something in his review that I agree with 110 percent after seeing this film: perhaps moreso than any director working in horror today, Wan has "a real sense of the audience - of their rhythm and pulse, of how to manipulate a moment so that he's practically controlling your breathing." This is why so many of these horror movie elements that have become tired "tropes" no thanks to inferior hands feel exciting again when a skilled filmmaker like James Wan puts them to use.
If the goal with this film was to make audiences rethink their misconceptions about studio horror, it's been met. The Conjuring 2 is as satisfying a sequel as the system has produced in years. Thanks for making us believe again, James.
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