The Conjuring
New Line Cinema | Release Date: July 19, 2013
8.1
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Universal acclaim based on 1242 Ratings
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1,063
Mixed:
117
Negative:
62
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User scoreBy dateMost helpful
10
Movie3Jul 15, 2018
Deliciously terrifying movie! About 8 times the theater screamed in terror, which rarely happens with horror movies now days. Jump scares aren't always bad, as this movie proves, as long as it's done right.
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9
sharkymemezAug 20, 2018
One of the best horror films, that i watched in my life!
Good jumpscares, nice story!
I love you James Wan!
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10
meydianarizki21Nov 3, 2020
A Gripping, Tense and Overall Masterful Genre Revival
Like comedy, the horror genre can be a very subjective beast, finding or missing its mark as much do to its craft and execution as it does the particular individual who plops themselvesA Gripping, Tense and Overall Masterful Genre Revival
Like comedy, the horror genre can be a very subjective beast, finding or missing its mark as much do to its craft and execution as it does the particular individual who plops themselves into a theater seat. If something isn't scary to someone – someone who earnestly believes that of course – then a fright flick has failed at its core intent. Then we have something like James Wan's The Conjuring, an artful, confident throwback that succeeds in maintaining a high tensile level of pressure on our senses, crafting vital jump scares, a potent human element and all encompassing technical prowess. This is the type of brave, but stripped down horror filmmaking that forces you to analyze other elements besides just the full effectiveness of its frightening intent. Plus it's scary as hell.

The Conjuring completes a modern supernatural horror film trifecta started with Wan's own Insidious in 2010 and bridged by last year's unsettling Sinister. With these films the genre has proved that this is far from a dead, now inherently clichéd area of cinema and this effort is perhaps the best of all three. After breaking onto the scene in a big way with the trend setting Saw, the director took a bit of creative detour in the eyes of most with revenge thriller Death Sentence and supernatural doll flick Dead Silence (which is vastly underrated by the way) before rebounding with the aforementioned Insidious. For The Conjuring it seems Wan has taken everything he's learned – congealing everything he's found to be effective – and assembled them exquisitely and with ample new flare to boot.

The Conjuring pulls its inspiration from a case file of famed demonologists and paranormal investigators the Warrens, the husband and wife team who's other journeys inspired films such as The Amityville Horror. Here they are played respectively by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga who are now both genre regulars with roles in Insidious and the upcoming Chapter 2 due this year for the gentleman and Orphan and television's Psycho prequel Bates Motel for Farmiga. We've all seen the painful trope of priests, exorcists, psychics and every nut-job in between showing up at the eleventh hour to save a haunted family but the way they're approached in The Conjuring stands as one of the film's greatest strengths.

Though it's something that should be completely obvious out of the gate (but still something those inspired by the Warren's stories forget) this is just as much their story as those experiencing the phenomena. In giving nearly as much screen time to this duo as it does the Perron's (a seven family troop lead by actors Ron Livingston and Lili Taylor and their five daughters) we grow and involve with these nine individuals so when things get terrifying we not only feel just as much for everyone on screen but everyone gets a satisfying arc. It's something so rare in most horror films. Though this dynamic is certainly not presented through these two separate camps – the fearful and the experts – but the men bond over their love of cars and their wives and the women over the unfathomable: harm befalling their children. It's a satisfying an utterly untapped approach for the genre.

But "wait, wait" you proclaim "this is a horror movie after all, stop talking about the little girls and get to the scares!" Graciously, somewhat rude reader. The Conjuring is creepy, intermittently nightmarish, tense, gross, unsettling, and in its purest form, scary. This is the type of film that dares you not to hug yourself or laugh nervously in the hopes you deflect some iota of the sensation of primal fear. But these emotions are never extracted in a manipulative fashion and the jump scares are orchestrated effectively through physical objects falling, bumping, banging and generally causing off-putting noises, not blaring, out of context musical chords.

The camera work is also fantastic employing every angle imaginable and even some very impressive point of view and upside-down-spin shots. It's easily Wan's best directed effort to date but never one that lets its style eclipse the mood. Similarly his use of sound both in the score (which utilizes your average brooding options as well as sharp, grating notes that call back to horror of days gone by) and practical noises such as a strained rope swinging or a door slamming shut. Again, it all adds to the experience and in eventually pulling of the major frights.… Expand
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10
marketSep 7, 2018
the best horror film i have seen，love James wan, love ed and Lorraine, have seem it six times
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8
GarethBDec 9, 2018
Horror is not my favourite genre so it really needs to make an impression on me to stand out. Moody, intense and relying on scary atmosphere instead of cheap jumps this film stands out as a recent success amidst a sea of mediocrity.
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8
ErikTheCriticSep 25, 2018
Director James Wan delivers creepy and ominous scenes really effectively in this movie. It's so well-made, and well-acted, "The Conjuring" truly is a frightening experience.
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3
Sky_nemOOct 29, 2018
Вы орете??!!! Ужасы где?????Девка и скучный фильм... убить время даже жалко просмотром фильма. Я намного интереснее живу, чем эта нудятина...
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6
theredskyJun 17, 2019
It’s an okay film. The build up is kinda slow but it gives time to establish good characters in Ed and Lorraine Warren. The cast for the most part does a good job. 2 of the child actors are decent and the others are garbage. There is only 1It’s an okay film. The build up is kinda slow but it gives time to establish good characters in Ed and Lorraine Warren. The cast for the most part does a good job. 2 of the child actors are decent and the others are garbage. There is only 1 jump scare that actually got me while I predicted all the other ones. The movie is also kind of dark lighting wise. I watched this film in a relatively dark room and some of the scenes were just too dark to see anything. The plot is good. I understood what was going on and what the characters motivations were. The film flowed relatively nicely from scene to scene. The first five minutes are awful though. You basically get 3 introductions to Ed and Lorraine that just repeats itself every time and it gets super annoying. The opening scene is only there to establish Annabelle for her awful spin off film. The last 20 minutes of this film are amazing though. The exorcism scene is by far the best sequence in the film. There’s tension, the camera shakes but it works with the scene, the lighting is good, the music is good, and the makeup on the demon is really good, and most importantly, it’s creepy. The Conjuring is a decent horror film that provides good characters, a good story, and an amazing 3rd act at the expense of bad child actors, predictable scares, slow build up, and inconsistent lighting. I give The Conjuring a 6/10.… Expand
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9
I_loveJan 3, 2019
Some things felt a little silly, too many jumpscares, however 2 were great, other than that it's one of the best horror movies of the 2010's
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7
vladsemenovvMay 15, 2019
Фильм основан на реальных событиях из практики Эда и Лоррейн Уоррен. Пугающая история Эда и Лоррейн Уоррен, всемирно известных детективов, занимающихся паранормальными расследованиями. К ним за помощью обратилась семья, терроризируемая темнымФильм основан на реальных событиях из практики Эда и Лоррейн Уоррен. Пугающая история Эда и Лоррейн Уоррен, всемирно известных детективов, занимающихся паранормальными расследованиями. К ним за помощью обратилась семья, терроризируемая темным духом на уединенной ферме. Вынужденные сражаться с могущественной демонической сущностью Уоррены сталкиваются с самым пугающим случаем в своей жизни.… Expand
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5
CarrickApr 10, 2020
I felt very bored throughout the entirety of The Conjuring. I will not be watching the sequel.
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6
DawdlingPoetNov 27, 2021
This is an ok horror/ghost/spooks & ghoulies type film. There are some jump scares and its somewhat atmospheric but it's also fairly predictable to an extent and its cheesy towards the end. I felt it was a shame there wasn't more in terms ofThis is an ok horror/ghost/spooks & ghoulies type film. There are some jump scares and its somewhat atmospheric but it's also fairly predictable to an extent and its cheesy towards the end. I felt it was a shame there wasn't more in terms of plot detail given. I wouldn't overly recommend this film, no.… Expand
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9
tellmikeyyJan 24, 2022
A damn near perfect horror movie. From start to finish it has you hooked and unsettled. Even if the true stories are amplified, it’s very enjoyable and as my first Conjuring franchise movie I’ve watched, I’m excited for the rest!
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2
greggiakasApr 12, 2020
So cliché horrible movie boring no substance at all a total waste of time it s not a b it s a c movie actually
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9
Ryo91Apr 17, 2020
9/10 * Super Horror Film. Echt unheimlich.....Ich liebe Conjuring. Richtig gute Horror Filme gibt es leider wenig heutzutage.
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7
MrPajamasNov 2, 2020
The Conjuring is one of the good horror movies. The first half of the film doesn't look like much, but from the second half of the year, Warren gets involved, pulling the whole film. Overall, the fact that it is based on real events alsoThe Conjuring is one of the good horror movies. The first half of the film doesn't look like much, but from the second half of the year, Warren gets involved, pulling the whole film. Overall, the fact that it is based on real events also helps the film, and thus it adds at least a little realism. I can recommend.… Expand
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6
JLauSep 18, 2020
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Pair of demonologists go to a farmhouse to help a family suffering from a haunting but it's all rather blunt because nobody dies and all of the kids look alike.… Expand
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8
MisterdionyMay 28, 2021
One of the better horror movies and a strong performance by Farmiga. The atmosphere is thrilling and the movie keeps you hooked.
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10
JACOBJORDANBAJun 22, 2021
I love The conjuring I love that it's based on a true story I love everything about this movie that's based on a true story and it's scary as crap
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4
Natethegreat666Jul 8, 2021
It's just very boring and not really scary. The acting is fine the cgi and sets are okay. Overall it's just slow and boring so I would not recommend but if you are okay with a slow movie then maybe you will like it
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10
cdougallAug 12, 2021
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. James Wan’s masterpiece and his best film to date, The Conjuring is one of the scariest horror movies I’ve ever seen and is very well acted, written and directed. The story of this movie is cliche: a family moves into a new home which turns out to be a cursed/haunted house. The family is terrorized by supernatural presences, and turns to paranormal investigators/demonologists for help. That said, the execution of that story is phenomenal and makes this movie much more than just a haunted house movie since it doesn’t just rely on jump scares. Wan makes great use of camera movement, light, and sound to truly scare viewers and the characters in the movie in cool and unique ways. The film grips you for it’s entirety and yet somehow manages to give you room to breathe at parts so you’re not anxiously sitting in your seat for the whole runtime. It oftentimes holds your attention by simply making you want to know what’s going to happen next in a non-fearful way. The characters have very appropriate reactions to their situations and act in a way that people would definitely act in the real world, allowing this movie to make a lot of sense. What’s really interesting about this movie is that this isn’t just some fantasy story that some producers and writers came up with to make the next scariest horror movie; The Conjuring is based on events that actually happened as described by the family that the film is based around. We don’t know how much of this movie is realistic of their experiences and don’t know how truthful what they said is, but the premise of this movie is from the experiences of a family that existed in the real world. This movie is a great case example of interpretation vs reality, as I’m sure Wan and the rest of the team came up with a lot of what we see in their heads based on the information they were given. All that said, the movie flows incredibly well from start to finish and is a very enjoyable and smart horror movie. It rises above all expectations and shows that Wan is a true master of the genre. As I said before, the writing, directing and acting are all really good. The actors play their parts to perfection and manage to create some really sweet moments among all the horror, which are nice juxtapositions in the movie. There are no awkward or disruptive moments in the movie, a rarity for horror movies. The end is also great: it’s a happy ending that doesn’t directly set up a sequel but definitely leaves the door open for them, and we’ve already gotten two sequels to this movie in the past few years. I can’t really fault this movie for anything. The Conjuring is a fantastic horror flick and is a must see for fans of the genre and of James Wan.… Expand
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8
atabeyordekciAug 19, 2021
Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse. (8)
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10
devlin999Sep 5, 2021
nice movie wjfnqjfbjebhe jeknfjehbvhjewbve jenbjbehjvbefhj jernfjebrhjefbehjrfbe jhebfejhhjebvbej erjfbehjrbjhecbjebc jeb
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10
JACOBBAYNENov 7, 2021
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
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10
JACOBJBNov 24, 2021
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10
JACOBJAKENov 26, 2021
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7
GiugiOct 3, 2022
Perhaps this film represents the best chapter of the Conjuring saga, scary and full of suspense is the only one in the saga that really manages to scare, otherwise it is a very normal horror.
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9
primefish1722Jan 9, 2023
This movies is absolutely terrifying the whole time. My favourite movie of all time.
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10
LegionIvyFeb 28, 2023
It was a really good horror movie, maybe One of The greatest of all time. And i love how great Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga play together, they make it feel like they are an actual couple
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