Read Mixed User Reviews for The Conjuring

4

LJHayesAug 15, 2013

If you're looking for a standard horror flick to watch on a night in then this will do the job well enough but for the most part it's the same cliche horror film that's been done to death a hundred times over. There aren't many original ideasIf you're looking for a standard horror flick to watch on a night in then this will do the job well enough but for the most part it's the same cliche horror film that's been done to death a hundred times over. There aren't many original ideas to be found here and most of the 'scary' moments are just jack in the box jumps.
There are quite a few characters in it (a family of seven, two ghostbusters, a police sheriff and some guy with cameras) and none of them have that much depth or personality to the point where most of the cast seem unnecessary. Also some of the acting is pretty bad, particularly the father of the family. When the child actors are upstaging the adults then that's not a good sign.
One thing that I keep seeing in horror films is pianos! Why does every haunted house have a piano? And why to ghosts always feel the need to play it? I want to see a horror film where they find a dusty old Gibson in the basement and in the middle of the night everyone is woken up by the opening riff to sweet child of mine. It might not be scary at least it would be something that hasn't bee done before unlike pretty much everything in this film.
Overall this might be a good time sink if you're bored at home but if you're a horror fan then this isn't going to stay with you for long.… Expand

4 of 4 users found this helpful40

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6

grandpajoe6191Aug 28, 2015

Despite its scary moments, "The Conjuring" is a generic summer scare pot we've all seen from James Wan and his typical scare-the-audience formula. lol.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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5

Twist_Of_FateOct 2, 2013

It has its moments,But overall its dull and like they tried to hard to make it scary which ruined it in my opinion,Its more gross and disturbing than thrilling or scary,definitely no hair raising moments for me.The worst Paranormal activityIt has its moments,But overall its dull and like they tried to hard to make it scary which ruined it in my opinion,Its more gross and disturbing than thrilling or scary,definitely no hair raising moments for me.The worst Paranormal activity was still better than this movie.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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4

Now-Hear-Me-OutJul 21, 2013

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm feeling as though I'm in a rather small majority on this one. The Conjuring was the horror film equivalent to Prometheus: concerning all of its high expectations. To put it simply, horror films are all about the set up and the release (or the "pay-off"), and I felt neither. In my opinion, having felt the lack of the release was due in part to the weak or unclear set up. I don't consider myself a writer, although I believe I could be capable of writing a screenplay that could get away with murder.
Speaking of murder, how many deaths occurred in the span of this film? Well, there are certainly various instances of implied murders, but other than that we only see the family’s dog and a scene that contains flocks upon flocks of birds that fall (or fly rather) to their death. All of the slayings surrounding any humans had taken occurrence in the past in regard to the history leading up to the family’s arrival. Whether a story is illustrated through a movie, a play, or a book (or any other medium), death is to be used as a plot device: a means to give a strong punctuation to the overall storyline. So what is death? Death is the looming threat that will eventually get the better of us, if we’re ready for it or if we’re not. The element of death can be represented symbolically as a warning, as significance, or the consequence of there being one.
If there isn’t a single main character that doesn’t die in a HORROR film amid the first and second act (even up to the third act), then the film instinctively looses its power, and one’s attentiveness along with it. At the conclusion of the film, one might ask, “So, what did we gain from this?” Well, we relearned that at the end of any successful exorcism, the film would automatically instill a peaceful and a settling mood to the environment. That type of mood is over portrayed in the conclusion, and doesn’t benefit the film at all; it felt forced. We also learned that “jump scares” are still being used as a gimmick these days (yes, there are “jump scares” in this) only to lift audience’s eyelids of slumber. And lastly, if there are occurrences of paranormal activity at any time shown in a horror film, it better had be at night (or in this case, at 3:07 am precisely).
Which now brings myself to the time to talk about the aspects of the film that I did enjoy, and thought that the film did justice to. The characters in the film are likeable enough to care for (to an extent) the cinematography is some of the best work I’ve seen in most recent years, the first shot and the last shot felt like the two highest points of visual stimulation, the score for the film was nice and booming (although in scene of the exorcism, the film decides to splice it along side with a character searching for someone in another section of the house, which lacks the tension in the score when it shifts back to him). There were a couple of Amityville Horror references that provided some sparks. And the exorcism scene itself was creative and inventive with the environment of which it was set.
However, the film did not deliver any emotional connection between my associates and I. We found ourselves pointing out (and chuckling about) where the next big scare would be, and we weren’t all that far off for the majority of them. There was only one time that the film caught me off guard. It dealt with the character Lorraine Warren, who was standing outside by the lake (or river) when her husband comes from behind her when, she spots a corpse hanging from the tree behind him, which gave the film some points. The reason the sequence worked as well as it did was due to the time it occurred: MIDDAY. Which is perfect in any horror film to strive for, because it will not be anticipated.
I went into this film the same way I go into any film these days, which is to go into it without any knowledge of the plot, characters or anything. It is simply the trailers these days that can give away crucial large chucks of the film; thus I avoid them at all costs (though I wouldn’t have felt any more letdown than if I had). A lessor film would have added a cheap jump scare to the ending shot; this one does not, which it earns some more points for that as well.
Overall, I thought there were various elements of the film that were rather rewarding to its plot. Though the film as a whole, felt somewhat lousy in its execution. Now there are some critics out there that are calling it something like “This generation’s The Exorcist!” It’s a statement that sounds a bit hefty for a film that might not age as well as the classic. In the end, if one were to compare the two, they will find a clear and strong difference between the two films: AUTHENTIC HORROR. Can you guess which one?… Expand

7 of 9 users found this helpful72

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5

JamesCannonJul 21, 2013

Not sure how this got an R rating...there was no bad language...no one ever really feels like something terrible is going to happen to them, there are few good creepy scenes and a couple of good jump scares using scary faces, the atmosphereNot sure how this got an R rating...there was no bad language...no one ever really feels like something terrible is going to happen to them, there are few good creepy scenes and a couple of good jump scares using scary faces, the atmosphere is good but I was waiting for this film to really kick in.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

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5

TVJerryJul 23, 2013

A family (Lili Taylor, Ron Livingston 5 daughters) moves into a new home and almost immediately becomes terrorized by a demonic presence. Who u gonna call? An expert couple (Vera Farmiga & Patrick Wilson) arrives to exorcise the property.A family (Lili Taylor, Ron Livingston 5 daughters) moves into a new home and almost immediately becomes terrorized by a demonic presence. Who u gonna call? An expert couple (Vera Farmiga & Patrick Wilson) arrives to exorcise the property. Even though there are some twists on the usual scares, this is pretty much a by-the-numbers haunting with a sadly trite finish. A cast of good actors adds to the tension, but it's just a lot of bumps in the nite. Maybe I'm jaded or too experienced with the genre, but I was never scared or surprised.… Expand

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

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5

GoreministerJul 19, 2016

Pretty "okaaay" House-Horror flick. Seen this kind of stuff tons of times before, but pretty good executed by James Wan. I´d love to see more hauting moments and the finale isn´t that satisfiying. Good for a DVD evening, nothing more.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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5

BenzinAug 25, 2013

What started out as a genuine creepy film slowly devolved into your usual run-of-the-mill exorcism later on. The main antagonist is revealed halfway through, ruining the sense of unknown dread and generally playing out the rest of the movieWhat started out as a genuine creepy film slowly devolved into your usual run-of-the-mill exorcism later on. The main antagonist is revealed halfway through, ruining the sense of unknown dread and generally playing out the rest of the movie as a drama.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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5

HellHoleHorrorOct 11, 2022

This is well made but couldn't be much more forgettable. It utilises every trope in the supernatural possession genre without doing anything new. It's very well acted, directed and shot which is let down by the dull script. So it'sThis is well made but couldn't be much more forgettable. It utilises every trope in the supernatural possession genre without doing anything new. It's very well acted, directed and shot which is let down by the dull script. So it's entertaining but falls very short of being memorable. I'm sure I'll be reviewing this again soon as I'd have forgotten I've watched it before. Stick to Hereditary (2018) or The Haunting (1999) and that's saying something.… Expand

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5

CountryPetInnDec 14, 2013

Scary? For me, not really. If you were scared watching Paranormal Activity, then this film will probably scare you. I did find the film interesting though. Went online afterwords to research the story and authenticity of the film version.