The Conjuring 2

Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Madison Wolfe, Frances O'Connor, Lauren Esposito, Benjamin Haigh, Patrick McAuley
Directed by: James Wan
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Thriller
2016

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga) travel to London to help a family terrorized by a supernatural entity.

Review:

Tim: I believe The Conjuring is one of the most effective horror movies of the decade, so I was eagerly anticipating the sequel. The first film did such a good job of establishing Ed and Lorraine as characters you could actually care about, so I was looking forward to their continued adventures into the paranormal. While this sequel may not quite reach the level of the first film, this is still an incredibly well-made, scary, entertaining horror film. It's significantly better than the majority of horror films we're subjected to every year. This very good sequel cements this as one of the best horror franchises out there.

The basic story is an effective one, although it's not exactly original. A family is repeatedly attacked by some demonic force. While not unique, this is an effective ploy- you're putting kids in harm's way with an unseen force. That's frightening, especially if you are a parent. This created extra tension and suspense, because we actually cared about the characters on screen. While the story does follow many other horror movies, there were attempts made to surprise us. While not all of them worked (and some were easy to figure out), I at least appreciated the attempt to not just follow the well-tread path.

There were a number of creepy moments throughout the film. While this movie isn't as scary as the last one, director James Wan is so effective at creating these atmospheric, memorable moments. The visuals were frightening. The nun was incredibly creepy and some of the most nervewracking moments include the scenes with her. It's one thing to see people willingly go into a haunted house to battle supernatural forces- it's a very different (and scary) matter when those forces follow you home.

I really enjoyed the true-life aspect of the film. This is obviously billed as a true story based on the case files of Ed and Lorraine Warren. I'm not going to speculate on whether they are full of it or not, because it ultimately doesn't matter to me. The film treats this like an event that really happened, so it tries to ground everything in realism. That gives the movie a gritty, un-Hollywood quality that makes a huge difference.

Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are once again very effective as Ed and Lorraine. They're both legitimately great actors and pairing them together was a brilliant move. They obviously are more comfortable with each other, which furthers the idea that they are a married couple in the film. The new supporting cast members all worked well, even though there weren't any other big names in the cast. I liked that approach, as it continued to reiterate the "realism" of the film. It helps when you've got such a controversial topic to make sure it's grounded and doesn't become complete fantasy.

While The Conjuring 2 isn't quite as amazing as the first movie, it's still one of the stronger horror sequels out there. You now have two films in this budding franchise, and both are significantly better than most horror movies out there. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and was entertained and scared throughout. I sincerely hope this becomes a trilogy- and beyond.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Conjuring, Insidious, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Cabin in the Woods, Sinister