Watch the trailer
Written by: David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (screenplay by), James Wan & David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (story by)
Directed by: Michael Chaves
Starring: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ruairi O'Connor, John Noble
Rated: R
Plot
The Warrens investigate a murder that may be linked to a demonic possession.
Verdict
With extra characters this divides the focus and just adds run time. The additional characters give way to specific scares, but also adds length. This doesn't set a mood and execute quite like the first two. While it's better than most horror movies as it provides a solid story as well as scares, this ranks lower than the first two.
It depends.
Review
The Conjuring franchise includes three main movies as well as spinoffs including multiple Annabelle movies and The Nun. The main Conjuring movies rely on mood rather than jump scares, crafting a solid narrative as the foundation. The spinoffs often forgo a story for a string of scares.
This wastes no time kicking off with an exorcism, and there's even a nod to The Exorcist. It's a great opening that includes all the usual craziness of a possession while setting the plot for the rest of the movie.
What I appreciate about The Conjuring movies is that they realize it's not just the scare, but the set up and anticipation. This gives the setup equal weight, drawing out the tension, while still providing an engaging narrative.
 |
| Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga play Ed and Lorraine Warren. |
This is a different spin on demonic possession. It looks like it, but doesn't have the usual triggers. That's what splits this story as we follow the possessed Arne's (Ruairi O'Connor) plight as the Warrens (Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga) try to solve what's happening. I appreciate this is more or less a murder mystery and the cause just happens to be possession.
The multiple characters provide multiple avenues for scares. Why do we end up under a house with rats? Because that's what's scary. Instead of going outlandish, this movie uses everyday situations that unnerve people. That seems like the main reason we get the little kid, but some of that could be included anyway without giving so much time to side characters.
Part of the problem is the bloat that makes this feel a bit slow. This isn't just Ed and Lorraine. Adding characters isn't a bad idea, but it adds to the length. Making this just the Warrens chasing a satanist would tighten up the runtime. The scares we get from the other characters could easily unfold as a vision from Lorraine.
The first two were really good. This one doesn't quite stack up, but I appreciate that this movie doesn't just repeat the same formula.
No comments :
Post a Comment