Director: James Wan
Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Madison Wolfe, Frances O’Connor, Lauren Esposito, Benjamin Haigh, Patrick McAuley, Simon McBurney, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Simon Delaney, Franka Potente, Bob Adrian, Sterling Jerins
Running Time: 133 mins
Rating: 15
Release Date: June 13th, 2016
James Wan has proven himself to be a master of modern horror. The man who’s brought us SAW, DEAD SILENCE, INSIDIOUS 1 & 2 and now both CONJURING films can make a horror film with his eyes closed but it’s a testament to his love of the genre that’s he’s still finding new ways to scare audiences. Even when the material here is average at best, Wan’s command of the camera helps elevate it.
THE CONJURING 2 follows Lorraine and Ed Warren again, who this time travel to north London to help a single mother raising four children alone in a house plagued by malicious spirits. This change of location provides a much needed breath of fresh air in a film whose jump scares and story can’t help but give the audience a sense of deja vu. Yet again, there’s a sibling in danger from the sinister spirits that haunt the house and yet again a separate case that the Warrens are investigating threatens their lives.
Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga carry the film with ease, their chemistry and natural charisma making them easy to cheer for. Madison Wolfe and Frances O’Connor are stand outs within the English family who are being terrorized, Wolfe especially giving a performance that’s both frightening and sympathetic as a girl who’s being personally targeted by an unknown entity. The house itself is a character, the set design immaculate in its small details. Stains on the wall, peeling wallpaper and funky 70s era furniture give it a subtle, but creepy lived in vibe and Wan catches every single detail with his camera.
However, a horror film is created to scare you and it’s to Wan’s skill as a filmmaker that he finds some inventive ways to crank up the tension. There’s the obvious jump scare here and there, but Wan shows absolute control over the film throughout, knowing exactly how and when to toy with his audience. Whether it’s a toy car rolling out of a dark tent that one of the characters reluctantly investigates or a particularly hair raising scene where Farmiga confronts a spirit in a study room, Wan teases you with scares that you know are coming, only to hold back on you. It’s all about the build up with Wan and he makes you sweat for it.
Having already tackled FAST & FURIOUS 7 and moving onto the superhero debut of AQUAMAN, it’s good to see him looking to move out and try new things. THE CONJURING 2 is plagued by a sense of been there, done that and while a thrill to watch in the moment, I’m hard pressed to think of anything that really stuck in my head. There’s a repetition to haunted house stories and while Wan lovingly embraces the cliches in the genre, it makes for a enjoyable but unremarkable experience. He may earn his scares but come the third time a ghost jumps out onscreen, you start to wish it would try something new.
Verdict
