bleeding heart Posted October 30, 2013 Report Share Posted October 30, 2013 (edited) James Wan of the overworked, overrated "Saw" franchise has been branching out to more PG-13 horror fare. The latest, and by far his best-received, is the "Amityville Horror/Exorcist" conflation called "The Conjuring." I'm pretty ambivalent. I didn't hate it. Didn't like it. But it's hard to imagine a more...well, conventional horror film. Oddly enough in this day and age, it's totally lacking in irony, totally lacking in any moral complications. No doubt is sown among the audience; no characters display moral or ethical complications or contradictions; and there is no subtextual social critique, which I believe the best horror films always play with. It turns out that the ghost is not really a ghost at all, but a demon. That is, an unearthly presence that has never walked the earth as a human being. But all the haunted house/ghost story elements are present. And man, this demon is pure evil. Period. Not only that, but it is a Christian (in fact, Catholic) horror story, complete with crosses, the whole shtick. Interestingly (or maybe not) the Ghost Hunters-cum-Exorcists are played straight. There's no question whatsoever that they are the genuine article, that demon possession is real, and that demons are pure and unadulterated evil. Ostensibly "based on a true story," I feel pretty confidant that this "true story" is the viewpoint of the real-life "ghost hunters" who are two of the four main characters (the other two being the victimized couple...the children are basically props). I'm still trying to consider how this is different--blander, more--ok, let's say it--conservative than a lot of horror films. The difference is clearly present, but I haven't got it clarified yet in my head. Rating: meh. Edited October 30, 2013 by bleeding heart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bush_cheney2004 Posted October 30, 2013 Report Share Posted October 30, 2013 "Conjuring" gave me the giggles as every tried and true element was trotted out on screen without boring CGI trickery. The acting was adequate, and the "true story" backbone complete with early 1970's setting was charming. I foung the closing credits with archival clippings and photos to be a nice touch as well. Too bad for Sadie..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bleeding heart Posted October 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2013 "Conjuring" gave me the giggles as every tried and true element was trotted out on screen without boring CGI trickery. The acting was adequate, and the "true story" backbone complete with early 1970's setting was charming. I foung the closing credits with archival clippings and photos to be a nice touch as well. Too bad for Sadie..... I agree the cast was quite decent, I'll give it that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bush_cheney2004 Posted October 31, 2013 Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 While watching this film, I was reminded of Eddie Murphy's early stand-up act on the topic: Warning: profanity http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpPdgrr5diM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonlight Graham Posted November 1, 2013 Report Share Posted November 1, 2013 (edited) Recently watched it. Was quite good, better than most horror flicks. Creeped me out for sure, with little blood, so it's more of a horror/thriller. I don't follow too many of the recent paranormal-related horror films so I can't compare. I found it to be like a mix between "The Others" and "The Exorcist". Haunted House story meets Satanic possession story. The first 75% of the movie was excellent. The whole build up of the film was terrific, it really got you creeped out and fearing what will come next. The backstory and acting was quite effective. I was let down by the climax/ending though. It didn't quite live up to the scares you thought might happen based on the build-up from the first 3/4 of the movie. The climax was too short, and could have been scarier. The film always teased about frightening you, and you thought "well eventually this movie is going to let loose and try to scare the crap out of me" but never quite did, it could have delivered complete diabolical mayhem at the end but only half-delivered. Still a really good horror film. I'd give about a 8.5/10. I was a fan of the original "Saw" (of course the sequels suck, but aren't made by the same team). Can't wait for the sequel of this flick if made by the same team! Edited November 1, 2013 by Moonlight Graham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neobendez Posted November 29, 2013 Report Share Posted November 29, 2013 Watch it first time,you'll think it's creepy but at the middle it gets,too common. But then,I'll give credits of the mother's love. Watch it second time or third..it won't give the same creeps as it gave the 1st time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.