The Conjuring 2 Review
After watching Conjuring people were scared of attics, so frightening was the scene and am sure everyone would agree with that. So was Conjuring 2 the sequel upto its first part in terms of shivers and thrills? Well, for one thing is to watch and get frightened, but the sequel is no less and is as scary as the first. Those who’ve watched The Conjuring will feel a bit of a déjà vu as the movie starts with real-life paranormal investigators Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) investigating the famous Amityville case where Lorraine has an out of body experience which leads her to a scene that will hint that Ed’s days are numbered and short-lived. Lorraine has kept this vision to herself but has made Ed promise that they will not be involved in another paranormal investigation which Lorraine believes will fulfil the prophecy.
The brilliance of director James Wan’s stylish original film was how it used our own horror perception against us. He’d allow for a long take of a terrified girl peering under her bed and let it stay there long enough to the point where your muscles start to tense. You instinctively brace for the shock that you know is coming … and then … nothing. At that point a creepy face or a loud knock on the door wasn’t actually needed. The suspense was more than sufficient. The audience was already terrified. That being said, there are also some truly funny moments, like a shot of the Hodgson family running from their haunted house after a particularly intense activity. You simply cant ignore the question on why they don’t just move this haunted place! But there isn’t much you can do from a horror movie on exploring logic and just go with the flow of yelling in fear.
It’s also worth noting that The Conjuring 2 is more than two hours long, allowing for lots of growth. You do need a little patience, as this one builds slowly. It’s another case from the files of Lorraine and Ed Warren (Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson, reprising their roles from the first movie), the real-life couple who attained a certain fame as paranormal investigators from the well-known occurrences in Amityville, N.Y., in the mid-1970s. That investigation gets a shout-out at the beginning of this film, but the real focus is their work in 1977, the year after they visited Amityville, in the region of Enfield in North London.
So, while the story feels a bit more Hollywood, a bit less “real” this time around, the family drama is still right at the center and is quite effective, and there’s just something so satisfying about Farmiga and Wilson as these two well-wishers in a movie, mixing the supernatural with the scientific. The ghosts and spirits are extra frightening this time around and the performance by young Wolfe as the possessed girl is nothing short of chilling. For any of its shortcomings, The Conjuring 2 is scarier than the first movie and you can’t ask for more than that.. Although the two-hour-plus running time might seem daunting, the time flies as things get more and more intense with some of the best bits being clever twists we’ve seen frequently. As with the first movie, there’s also much fun to be had from the movie’s mid-’70s setting, thereby removing most of the hi-tech gadgets that have become horror feed in recent years. Horror fans sick of all the imitators (and sequels) have nothing to worry about here, because the ghost busters of ‘The Conjuring 2’ are scary good.”
The movie again is not for the weak hearted fellows, and if you have decided to watch it in the cinemas, best to find yourself a cozy center seat in some of the multiplex and stay glued with all the popcorn and snacks you can buy. For after the interval it is going to be tough to walk through the dark doors of exit, that is the fear that Conjuring brings to you!
Verdict : A chilling sequel!