I have to be honest, I'm a huge James Wan fan. Saw was great for what it was, and Dead Silence is y favorite doll movie. Insidious was one of the scariest movies I've seen in a long time, and while Insidious Chapter 2 was a step down in storytelling, Wan was still able to make it scary. With the Conjuring, Wan has his best film to date.
This movie is every bit about Ed and Lorraine Warren as it is about the Perron family's haunting. It starts out with the Warren's doing an investigation of the Annabelle doll house. At first I was confused as to why this would be in there, but then I understood it was a great way to introduce the Warren's story into the film (and it was so popular it is getting a whole spin-off movie devoted to it).
After the brief story of the Annabelle house doll, the Perron's move into their new rural home. It's the typical haunted house story where bad things start to happen not long after they move into the house. They end up finding the Warren's at a seminar and ask them to investigate the house. After investigation, the Warren's decide that things are so bad they need to perform an exorcism on the house. The mother of the family, Carolyn, becomes possessed by the evil spirit in the house. Ed Warren is forced to do the exorcism and is successful (in dramatic fashion may I add). After the successful exorcism, the Warrens return home, and the movie ends with a quote from Ed that sums the movie up (to be continued later...).
To be honest, there isn't anything new in this movie that hasn't been done or seen before in paranormal movies. The big difference here is how well it's executed. James Wan really made a masterpiece with this one. The writing is excellent, with characters that are developed exceptionally well for a horror movie. The story itself is one of the best in horror movies I have seen in a long time. The acting is really well done and believable. The cinematography is beautiful, as well as done well enough to add much suspense with different camera angles.
This is by far Wan's most impressive directing work. What's so much better with this one is that he develops a story and builds suspense before adding in any jump scare moments. When done well jump scares can have a lasting impact on you. This film they were done perfectly. The tension in this film is built up nicely as well (the score does a great job at this). One thing that is always compared in movies like this is how the exorcism scene compares with the godfather of all exorcism movies, William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist. The exorcism scene has a lot more special effects and action than The Exorcist's scene did. It still did very well with keeping tension built up throughout the entire scene
One of the most notable things for me in this film is the messages it sends. The Perron family is not of the religious type (as they stated in the film). Therefore, the writers are trying to send the message that paranormal events (and even their existence) transcend our own belief system. Evil will stop at nothing to try and destroy your life, as seen in this movie when a demon tries to possess a doll to terrorize a household. Another message that is pretty obvious is that paranormal activity such as this can happen to anyone, as seen by the Perron's and with the Annabelle doll, and with the Christian belief in Jesus Christ you can overcome this evil.
The overall message of this movie can be summed up in the quote at the end of the film by Ed Warren: "Diabolical forces are formidable. These forces are eternal, and they exist today. The fairy tale is true. The Devil exists. God exists. And for us, as people, our very destiny hinges on which one we elect to follow." wherever you are on your views on religious matter, perhaps we should stop and ponder these words after watching the movie.
Overall as a horror film goes, you can't get much better than this since the turn of the new millennium. It's for sure a classic film, and even if you're not a Christian and are just interested in a good story with a great message, this is a movie for you. Very highly recommended!!
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