The Conjuring (2013) is one of the most popular horror films in recent years, so I am not surprised at all that there is now a sequel of it being released. This one sees both Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson return to play their characters Lorraine and Ed Warren.
The Conjuring 2 is based on the the true story of the Enfield Haunting, where a young girl named Janet Hodgson encounters a strange spirit in her home. It is not long later that media interest forms and Ed and Lorraine Warren come to investigate.
The Enfield Haunting story is something that I saw a TV show of recently so I was kind of familiar with the general plot of The Conjuring 2 before I went in and throughout the film as well. For those who do know the story of Janet Hodgson already, it might take a bit away from the mystery of what could happen with this horror film, but not entirely though. This film is a lot different to the recent British TV show, with enough variation made so it doesn’t feel the same. Sure there is the Janet voice scenes, but a lot is different, mainly due to the presence of Ed and Lorraine Warren.
The film is pretty scary in some parts, there are a lot of jump scares and creepy things happening on camera all the time. There is also a lot of action and great moments to keep you entertained while it’s all playing. I do think though that it doesn’t really reach the same level of scariness that the original Conjuring film did. There are a lot of scary things though, like a moment when there might have been something in one of the kids tents, or the horrible Crooked Man toy/creature roaming the house, I love that type of thing.
Actors are all good, Vera Farmiga is quite well known to always be quite good in almost anything that she’s in, although in this film, her character is kind of sidelined, Ed Warren is really more of the main character. Patrick Wilson did well with his role and actually had quite a lot to do around the house. Young Madison Wolfe who plays Janet also did well, particularly since she seemed to have the most demanding role in the film, she is a good young talent.
Director James Wan returns for a second time, having also directed The Conjuring (2013). This is a guy who specialises pretty much in horror films, having also directed Saw (2004) and Insidious (2010), those being all great horror films. So you know going in to see The Conjuring 2 that you’re in pretty safe hands with James Wan, or maybe not safe hands exactly, but something scary. This is a great director and it’ll be interesting to see what he does with his upcoming Aquaman film in the future.
Overall The Conjuring 2 is a decent horror film and if you’re a fan of the the first Conjuring, I think you’ll enjoy this one as well. If you happened to have seen the recent TV show (which isn’t as good as this film), it’s possible that the story may not be as mysterious, but there is enough that is different between the film and the TV show to keep you satisfied. I do like what James Wan was able to do with this story and while I don’t think it’s his best horror film, it’s still a decent entry in amongst all the films he’s made. It’s worth going to the cinema to see this because you get the added sounds and the big picture experience that you can’t really get from home which is important when it comes to horror films. If you love horror films, I’d recommend it.
