James Wan would be among the best when it comes to horror. It made more money than anyone could have expected and was met with a lot of critical praise.
“Wan has a gift that most slam-bang horror directors today do not: a sense of the audience – of their rhythm and pulse, of how to manipulate a moment so that he’s practically controlling your breathing”. They have numerous books on paranormal investigation to their credit. In the movie, they’re the real deal. Another thing that kills the movie a bit is the slow screenplay. “The duo also does a great job selling the romantic bond between the Warrens, which helps you fall in love with them as much as you end up falling for the entire Hodgson family”.
The plot is your basic ghost story. The duo travel all the way to London to investigate the paranormal happenings at the Enfield Council House; where the spirit of an old man has been oppressing the Hodgson family, with the help of their daughter Janet. While she returns home she is constantly haunted by the dreams of the demon. Variety is going so far as to call it a bomb, at least domestically. And through Sunday, the movie’s global gross should approach $300 million, including $105 million earned in other foreign markets outside of China. It adds another layer onto what’s become a pretty exhausted genre. Or is there more to the story than what their eyes can see? Filmmakers need to innovate in order to keep our attention. Two, have good neighbours, who will take you in when even the Church won’t and, more importantly, let you stay on.
“The Conjuring 2” earned an “A-” from first-night moviegoers on CinemaScore, and it received a good 75 percent of positive rating from the critics on RottenTomatoes.
Writer and director James Wan has been praised time and again for his individual style and approach to horror filmmaking. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.
Without question, one of the most creative and legitimate horrifying horror movies in recent memory was The Conjuring. Toys and furniture are moving around on their own.
Throughout, though, there are some really substantive and creative horror setpieces. Conjuring 2 will continue to be reverent of the archetypal characteristics of the genre but the core of the movie will be the intensity and the emotions behind the story. The Warrens are still woefully underdeveloped protagonists – as are the rest of the characters. A few inspired scenes will also blow your mind like the one where Ed has a conversation with the demon. These things nearly never work twice, but The Conjuring 2 works pretty much just as well as the first one.
Recommendation: You like the first one? You probably won’t like the second. You’ll like the sequel.