The Conjuring
2013
**½
Director: James Wan
Cast: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Lili Taylor, Ron Livingston, Shanley Caswell, Hayley McFarland, Joey King, Mackenzie Foy, Kyla Deaver, Shannon Kook, John Brotherton, Sterling Jerins
Ed and Lorraine Warren are professional demonologists who are called to Rhode Island, where a family of seven recently moved to a farmhouse which is inhabited by evil spirits. This religious horror movie is allegedly based on true events in 1971. Seems to me like it's mostly based on The Exorcist and The Amityville Horror (1979). The first thirty minutes are subtle and creepy, but James Wan gradually turns this into another tired trudge through jump scares and horror tropes. These include falling down the stairs to a dark basement, doors slamming shut all over the house, ghosts hiding in an old wardrobe, and possessed characters levitating in the air. Followed by two direct sequels and several spin-offs.
