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Staring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Lili Taylor, and Ron Livingston Overall I thought this was a good, creepy movie. There were some predictable moments, but then there were some that legitimately make me shout "Oh, poo poo!" in the middle of a crowded theater. The ending both opens it up for a sequel but was fine for a total ending as well 4/5
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Jul 20, 2013 05:02
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I liked this movie and can see why it is so popular. The acting, while cheesy at times, was good enough to keep my invested; it's so refreshing to see a horror-show family act like a normal family without any drama or big problems. And the scary bits were very well executed, eschewing CGI for good old fashioned cinematographic trickery, and while some frights were predictable, high tension was maintained throughout by brilliant visual and audio cues that were interspersed throughout. I certainly never thought the simple creaking of rope would unnerve me quite so much. A very strong showing by James Wan and a worthy addition to the horror genre. 5/5 resurgam40 fucked around with this message at 19:20 on Jul 22, 2013 |
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Jul 22, 2013 19:16
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I don't usually go for scary movies, and I hated the last one I saw in theaters, Paranormal Activity, which I found to be really boring and not scary at all. The Conjuring takes a lot of cues from Paranormal Activity and the plot is almost exactly the same, but there's also actually a real movie here, with a great atmosphere that accomplishes a lot with a little. I found myself absolutely absorbed in the moment through great lengths of this movie. Some of the scares were a little predictable but still very effective. There's really not much for me to complain about except for a loose end that was probably left that way for a sequel hook. Whereas I left Paranormal Activity pissed off that I actually spent $11 on that piece of crap, I came out of The Conjuring genuinely unnerved and it took me a few hours before it wore off. 5/5
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Jul 26, 2013 20:14
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There's not much to say without giving anything away, but I found the movie to be an average jump-scare movie. Atmosphere was well done, but it was just there to set you up for the jump scares that are very common in this type of movie. Here's the formula: Build tension Build some more tension There's actually nothing there! or Build tension Build some more tension Build even more tension to get beyond the audience's expectations so that Predictable scare only made a little unpredictable by the wait before it That's what this movie is. You could apply this to almost any movie in the genre. It was very average for me. It was entertaining, though, and I would recommend it to someone who wants to go enjoy a couple of hours at the movies. Just don't expect anything that hasn't been done in hundreds of another movies before. 3/5
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Jul 28, 2013 18:31
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A collection of scenes we've all seen a hundred times before, executed in an almost impressively average manner. There isn't a single moment that is particularly good or bad. Randomly sample 10 horror movies and you'll have covered a good portion of the material here. There's really no need to write a proper review. Things go bump in the night, and there is either nothing or something there, and if it's something it will be accompanied by a loud noise. I suppose this might be what you came for, but I couldn't help but be bored by it. I'm deducting a point for the annoying introduction and conclusion, which insist that the film is based on a "true story", and seems to want us to accept the existence of demons, devils, and other such nonsense because, well, Ed and Lorraine Warren say so. 2/5
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Aug 12, 2013 03:19
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I'm usually super critical at "serious" horror movies. Yet I realised a few weeks ago that James Wan's previous horror film Insidious wasn't actually complete poo poo, to my surprise. It wasnt original in the slightest with its jump scares, scenery, acting and especially theme (family moves in new house; little billy is possessed by a demon, ya really) but the pacing was efficient and the plot actually offered a refreshing second act after 45 mns of scary poo poo - or irritating poo poo if you arent into creaking floorboards and lightbulbs exploding - as a team of goofy ghostbusters comes in and take over to identify the entity. Unfortunately Insidious doesnt get better from there in its third act but it came pretty close. So I decided to check out his new offering, already knowing thatThe Conjuring follows the same formula, and it actually succeeds in creating a worthy final to a very succesful setup. The script has two main qualities: its set in the 70's and it introduces the family being haunted at the same time as it does the Warren couple that will inevitably try to "exorcise" them and their house. Being 50 years behind technologically helps immensely with immersion in a ghost story and the experienced team of ghostbusters actually being real characters and not just talking heads taking center stage babbling exposition at the unfortunate protagonists is a very nice touch - the family is well in its place as victims of an haunted house and they let the professionals do their work. The Conjuring has its faults but I found it to be a well crafted film, well paced and the idea of a sequel isnt unwelcome, since it'll probably keep these two things I liked most about it. 4/5
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Sep 14, 2013 02:27
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I too was really looking forward to this film having just seen Insidious recently. This film didn't disappoint me in the slightest. I really enjoyed it, but I am admittedly a horror fan. I disagree with the idea that the film relied entirely on jump scares. There was a definite creepiness to the whole film and I found the building of tension really well done. I actually had shivers going up my spine and actually exclaimed something along the lines of "Jesus gently caress" at least 3 times which is really saying something for me. All in all I loved the premise of centering the movie on ghost hunters that are a combination of the researchers in Poltergeist and the priest from The Exorcist. Best horror I've seen in a while and probably the scariest haunted house movie I can think of. 4/5
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Oct 7, 2013 22:04
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This played like every Wan movie that I've seen. I liked about 80% of it. I keep going to see his films because I am sure that somewhere lurking inside him there is a REALLY good movie. It just hasn't surfaced yet. That being said, I do think this is his best outing to date. It works reasonably well as a throwback to haunted house movies from the 70s and 80s. While the script was weak, the acting was okay. A little corny, but that's to be expected. I liked the slow burn, but found the ending to be way over the top. When I was a kid the local science and industry museum had a hurricane simulator. They filled the room up with foam blocks, gave you a pair of industrial earmuffs, and cranked the wind. The last 20 or so mintues of this movie had the same sort of effect on me. It was neat for the first minute or two, then it was just an unsteady cam filming a lot of poo poo flying around. Again, there was enough here to keep me entertained and I will surely go see his next feature, but in the end it was just okay. 3.5/5
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Oct 7, 2013 22:45
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Fairly standard horror movie with a top-tier cast from A-list horror director James Wan. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson are a selfless demon-hunting husband and wife team who occasionally give slide-presentations at the local university. Ron Livingston and (the always lovely) Lili Taylor are the hapless parents of five daughters who move into to a large house by the lake which happens to be haunted. Starts off with a genuinely creepy prelude that involves possessed dolls - a speciality of director James Wan - before descending into a routine haunted house tale. Wan’s camera slowly pans and then lingers to heighten the viewer’s feeling of unease, and there are several good scares. Unfortunately gets a little silly towards the end, climaxing in an exorcism performed with the power of positive thinking. Enjoyable, but falls short of James Wan’s last two attempts at supernatural horror, both of which were superior films. As with all good horror movies, based on “true events”. 3/5
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Oct 9, 2013 17:18
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This movie was seriously awesome. I'm not the type of person who gets scared during horror films, but regardless of that fact I had a hell of a fun time watching this movie. Even if you don't get scared while watching horror films, this movie doesn't try to carry itself with "spooky jump scares" like so many other horror films seem to do. The plot of the movie as well as the acting I found to be spot on and entertaining. 5/5
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Nov 13, 2013 06:30
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It's a standard "possessed house by ancient evil" story, the likes you've seen a hundred times before. It's well done at least, the portrayals aren't comic-book bad or anything. Watch it, forget it. 3/5 PS: if you want something more "poltergeisty", I suggest you watch Insidious; it's by the same director and a much more interesting take on the haunting theme.
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Feb 20, 2014 01:46
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