7/14/2016 0 Comments 'The Conjuring 2' Movie ReviewIf you're a horror movie fan, you probably know how difficult genuinely crafted horror films are to come by anymore, much less good horror sequels. That's why if you are a horror fan, I can't recommend enough that you check out The Conjuring 2.
The story follows the real-life paranormal team of husband and wife, Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga), several short years following the case they tackled in the previous film. This time around, the duo are called across the pond to investigate a haunting in suburban England...but encounter more than their standard spooks. One of the refreshing trademarks that distinguishes the Conjuring films from other exerpts of contemporary horror is the characters. Not only do the core group of haunting victims not endanger themselves through their actions, but beyond that, they are genuinely emotionally-crafted characters with defined personalities. In particular, child actor Madison Wolfe is exceptional at portraying genuine terror with just her facial expressions, giving a performance that will surely cast a productive career. Farmiga is also excellent as the paranormal investigator, whose ability to communicate with the dead casts a heavy burden over her. This plot aspect gives way to the well-acted husband-and-wife dynamic between her and Wilson. When you see the romance between them developed, you get to know them as people, and recieve a first-hand account of what's at stake when they dive headlong into a case. But perhaps my favorite element of the plot is the Warrens trying to confirm the validity of the case. The original film was an updated take on the Amityville Horror-style old school haunting, and while this followup certainly follows in that tradition, it adds a layer of depth by questioning whether or not the case is a hoax. This effect adds a layer of intrigue not only to the story, but also the suspense, because it allows the audience to question what's real or not. On the opposite side of the Warrens are a party of spokespeople who claim the work of the Warrens to be propaganda, and while the audience has enough information to know otherwise, both sides to provide convincing arguements. And while the script checks out, the film is also well-formed on a technical level. The combination of costumes, set design, and music choices (Elvis Presley and The Clash, just to give an example) do a convincing job of selling the audience on the late-1970s setting. One particular scene that jumps to mind features the entire family residing in the haunted house being serenaded by Wilson's acoustic guitar cover of Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love With You." Nothing horrific is taking place, but rather, the film takes a moment to escape and let the atmosphere sink in, and it's extremely refreshing. If there are any glaring issues that I take with the film, there are two that stand out in particular. The first is the use of colors in the set design. Now, I previously stated that the choice of sets, furniture, and costumes effectively sell the time period, which is true. I just feel that the colors used in the backgrounds of some of the sets could have used more variety. They tend to rely on a lot of maroons and greys, which contrasts the palette of the original film (using a lot of warm browns and blue skies to set a feeling of comfort and ease, and then let the terror sneak up on you). This time around, you can examine the tone set by the color palette and already know that something bad is going down soon, and it would have been nicer to see some more visual variety. My other issue is the rate at which the ghosts are shown in extensive detail. Again, this is an example of the first movie doing it better; in the predecessor, there are maybe two scenes in which the spirits doing the terrorizing are physically depicted, and their appearances are very brief. They are concealed in the shadows, and, while it's entirely possible that their appearance was created via a digital effect, it has the look of a makeup achievement. For the rest of the time, their presence is hinted at by something physically moving, such as a blanket on a clothesline taking the shape of a figure. In this version, the spirits are shown in great detail over a great many occasion, and almost always having the likeness of computer effects. I think this would have been a good opportunity to take advantage of the classic "show, don't tell" technique, and results in the predecessor having the slightly superior scare tactics. Overall, while I do think the first film is scarier, the second film boasts better craftsmanship. It matches its predecessor in terms of set and costume design and music, as well as character development, but exceeds it in terms of plot, by adding the layer of debunking the haunting. The resulting effect proves that being scarier, while an achievement, isn't always being better, and this movie is better. I thoroughly enjoyed The Conjuring 2 as a rare horror sequel that chills as well as offers analysis, and I'm giving it three and a half out of four stars.
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