Technical assessment: 4
Moral assessment: 3.5
MTRCB rating: R 13
CINEMA rating: V 14
Based
on a true story involving real-life demonologists, husband
and wife team of Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga), The Conjuring revolves around the
experience of a working class couple Roger and Carolyn Perron (Ron Livingston
and Lili Taylor) and their five daughters, Andrea (Shanley Caswell), Nancy (Hayley McFarland),
Christine (Joey King), Cindy (Mackenzie Foy), and April (Kyla Deaver). The Perrons have just moved into their
“dream home”, a bargain of a house by a lake somewhere in New England. Having poured all their savings into
their new dwelling, Roger and Carolyn are unwilling to move out of it even when
inexplicable and eerie things start to happen in the house. When the happenings increasingly
disturb and then terrorize them, the Perrons call in the Warrens to help.
In spite of The conjuring
being generally classified as a horror movie, in reality it offers much more
than just jump-scare scenes. Those
who expect to see a horror-horror movie will ignorantly compare The Conjuring to possession movies like
The Exorcist and others in the same
genre. True, it is armed with the
usual accouterments horror movies have employed through the ages—the creepy
doll, doors opening and closing by themselves, the mysterious armoire, the basement
with its resident evils—but its intensity derives from suspense and precisely
timed boo moments, not from blood flood or victims with spinning heads and spewing
avocado puree. Which only goes to
show that director James Wan (Saw, Insidious) knows what he’s
doing. Supported by a
well-researched script, masterful camerawork, and memorable acting, The conjuring emerges as a credible, respectful
and well-balanced representation of a real life episode.
In
order to fully grasp the validity of The
conjuring as an informative film based on a true story, viewers must pay
attention to what is spoken and what is written on the screen. As director Wan thoughtfully portrayed
in The conjuring, the Warrens are
devout Catholics who are obedient to the Magisterium and sincerely believe that
God brought them together for a purpose.
The real Ed and Lorraine Warren were not exorcists: Ed (deceased) was
the “only non-ordained demonologist recognized by the Catholic Church”, and
Lorraine has psychic gifts that enable her to see non-human entities and to
intuit victims’ emotional states, among other things. The husband-and-wife team would be called upon to give talks
and investigate suspected paranormal activities, mostly in northeastern United
States. As The conjuring shows, they are serious researchers and are rational
about their work, always aiming to discover natural, explicable causes behind
seemingly supernatural occurrences.
(A particular instance in the movie shows them coolly explaining to
terrified clients that creaking wooden floors do not always mean a haunting or
demonic possession.) Only after
natural causes are ruled out and manifestations turn demonic would the Warrens
request an exorcism to be properly done by a priest.
The exorcism (spoiler!) attempted by Ed must be
explained. It is spurred by the
circumstances, not a presumptuous shot at disobedience to the Church. The Warrens knew they should not be doing it but seeing they
could no longer stop Carolyn from hurting herself and others, Ed, encouraged by
Lorraine, proceeded with the rites, going through the motions and reading the
Latin text with an American twang, startled but kept up on his feet. His effort to rid the woman from what
they had come to believe was the devil is much like what a drowning person
does—holding on to a the tail of the shark in the hope of being saved. Lest we give you more spoilers at this
point, suffice it to say that The
conjuring highlights the power of faith in God and compassion between
humans to thwart evil in this world.
