DIRECTOR: James Wan LEAD CAST: Vera Farmiga,
Patrick Wilson,
Madison Wolfe,
Frances O'Connor, Simon McBurney, Franka Potente SCREENWRITERS: Carey Hayes, Chad Hayes, James
Wan, David Leslie Johnson
STORY: Carey Hayes, Chad
Hayes, James Wan BASED ON: The Enfield Poltergeist haunting investigated
by Ed & Lorraine Warren PRODUCERS: Peter Safran,
Rob Cowan, James Wan FILM EDITOR: Kirk M. Morri MUSICAL
DIRECTOR: Joseph Bishara GENRE: Horror
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Don
Burgess PRODUCTION
COMPANIES: New Line Cinema,
Atomic Monster, RatPac-Dune Entertainment, Evergreen Media
Group DISTRIBUTED BY: Warner Bros. LANGUAGE: English LOCATIONS: Los Angeles, California, USA; London, England UK RUNNING TIME: 134 minutes
Technical assessment: 4
Moral assessment: 3
CINEMA rating: V14
MTRCB rating:
It must be noted that The Conjuring 2, like its predecessor,
is based on a true story taken from the Warren files. After a hiatus of six years from their Amityville horror experience,
husband and wife team of paranormal investigators and authors Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine
Warren (Vera
Farmiga) travel to north London to help Peggy Hodgson (Frances
O'Connor), a single mother raising four children in a house
plagued by malicious spirits. The
Hodgsons are too poor to replace the furniture that came with the purchased
house—a burden aggravated by the classmates’ bullying of her young son, a
stutterer. All siblings of the house
and their mother witness paranormal events occurring right before their eyes, terrifying
them and forcing them to seek shelter in their neighbor’s house. During a media
interview with the Hodgsons, the younger daughter Janet (Madison Wolfe) is
possessed by the ill-meaning spirit of Bill Wilkins, the previous owner of the
house who had died in a chair in the corner of the living room. As Janet begins to show more signs of
demonic possession, the story eventually reaches the Warrens in California, who
are requested to assist the local Church in the investigation.
The
Conjuring 1
(2013) is best remembered for its spine-tingling “clapper” whose somewhat
comic-horrific presence in the trailer aroused the interest of horror fans worldwide. The “clapper” is nowhere to be found—or
heard—in the much awaited The Conjuring
2, but the sequel is no less hair-raising. Malaysian born Australian director Wan (Saw,
Insidious, Furious 7) has certainly mastered his tricks, producing yet another
rarity in the horror genre: an excellent sequel with unexpected depth and
tenderness. While there is no
shortage of jolts, jumps, and chokeholds in this film, its best parts are found
in footages that explore the effects of terror on the lives of people it
touches: the
haunted family, the media, the police, the Warrens. Now known as the Enfield Poltergeist case that shook
the London press in 1977—curiously the same years director James Wan was
born—it has since become one of the most extensively documented cases in the
world’s haunting history.
Perfectly cast as the Warrens,
Farmiga and Wilson embody the real life compassion of the Warrens. In roles performed with sensitivity by
Wilson and Farmiga, the Warrens come to a case with feet solidly planted in
their Catholic faith. They are not
simply demonologists or exorcists out to fight evil and emerge as heroes; they
are keenly aware that while the supernatural fight between them and the devil
goes on, the family-victims must be helped in the natural realm, too. In The
Conjuring 2, the Warrens live with the Hodgsons during the investigation; on
Christmas eve, as they all gather in the living room as an odd family, Ed picks
up a guitar and croons “I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You”, exchanging
meaningful glances with Lorraine while spoofing Elvis Presley. For the first time in the film, the
Hodgsons children and their mother are happy.
