The Conjuring 2 (2016)

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Conjuring Reviews

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I think it's important to remember that when it comes to these movies being "based on true stories," that's a statement meant to be taken with a massive grain of salt. While these are apparent real-life stories that will prompt most people to put on their skeptical hats, it is worth noting that they also take considerable liberties with their storytelling, especially when it comes to Ed & Lorraine Warren. The pair make for a couple of good movie heroes, though, when exaggerated, so here we are.

This time around, Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) become a significant part of the Enfield Poltergeist case, one of the most compelling real-life cases of poltergeist activity, whose true story is fascinating and may have made for a better movie. That said, this is still a strong chapter in the series, and it effectively brings back the scares after the disappointment of 'Annabelle.' We open up at the Amityville house in '76, following the DeFeo murders, where Lorraine has a vision of a demonic nun, and Ed being brutally impaled by something. We then get her somewhat famous line of "that's as close to Hell as I ever want to be."

The following year, the Hodgson family, who reside in their cozy Enfield, London home, experience strange occurrences around the house after the second-eldest daughter, Janet (Madison Wolfe), decided to have some fun with a Ouija board. While the haunting seems to affect the whole family, Janet appears to be most vulnerable, as she keeps coming across the angry spirit of an older man who used to live there, named Bill Wilkins (Bob Adrian), who pretty much wants the Hodgson family out of his house so he can kick back and relax in his La-Z-Boy in peace.

As the activity continues, other locals end up checking the house out and getting more or less attacked by the entity, or at least witnessing something or another. All of the strange activity causes them to call on the Warrens for any help they can get. While the Warrens oblige, however, Lorraine remains hesitant due to her vision, especially when it ends up matching a painting of a nun Ed saw in a dream. For help, they call on Maurice Gross (Simon McBurney), who, if you read up on the real case, is the real hero of the story, and Anita Gregory (Franka Potente), who comes across as your average professional debunker.


As the paranormal investigation continues while the Warrens and their Friends stay in the house, plenty of compelling evidence comes to light, including a giant "Crooked Man," a demonic mockery of the old nursery rhyme, as well as more common occurrences, such as objects getting thrown. Perhaps most creepy, however, is Janet getting occasionally possessed by the spirit of Bill, and talking to others in Bill's voice, providing the film with one of its most chilling scenes. But for as entertaining as this chapter is, truth be told, I like the first 'Conjuring' just a tiny bit more.

Don't get me wrong, this movie is great for a horror fan like myself, who gets a better scare from something a little more psychological, even if it is a "haunted house" movie. Certain scenes here work really well for messing with one's head - my favourite being Janet getting interviewed in the La-Z-Boy chair (the chair being one of those inanimate objects that becomes one of the film's central characters). It has its scares, its suspense, and even some heart, but I have to say things start to go "Hollywood" here a bit more, and it lacks the subtlety of the first.

I also feel somewhat bad for Maurice Gross and his investigative partner, Guy Playfair, who wrote the book 'This House is Haunted' about the whole situation, and isn't even part of the film. The real case is a little more compelling once you get to know it. For entertainment purposes, however, there's not a lot of negative to be said about it. It's a little less creepy overall than the first, but it's still one of the better movies of the franchise. It manages to do some of what I like to see in a good supernatural horror movie by taking risks and making new things out of old ideas.

4/5

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