The Conjuring - The Conjuring Universe
Quick Background
The Conjuring is the movie that started it all. This movie was released first in the series in 2013, although the story takes place in 1971, making it the fourth movie chronologically. I’m going to take a moment here to tell you how much I love Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. They play Ed and Lorraine Warren, and their chemistry on-screen is on point. I love to love them. This is the movie that made me want to watch all the other films in the Conjuring Universe.
Side note I have a big crush on Patrick Wilson. I first fell for him when he played Nite Owl in Watchmen, but he will still steal your heart as Ed Warren. This is not to discount Vera Farmiga, who I believe is underrated; she was also phenomenal as Norma Bates in Bates Motel.
When I think of scary movies, the name Ron Livingston does not come to mind; in fact, when I hear the name Ron Livingston what comes to mind is Office Space and Sex and the City. That being said, he is excellent in his role as the father of the family of 7, Roger Perron. Who I do think of when I think of scary movies is Lili Taylor, who plays the mother, Carolyn Perron. Lili Taylor is one of my favorite scary movie actresses; seriously, if you have not seen the 1999 film The Haunting, you are missing out. Go watch it NOW. The most recent movie I saw her in was Eli which is scary and twisted, and another to add to your movie list. She is not a scream queen, which could be why I love her so much in scary movies; she is almost always the calm, calculating character.
About The Movie
This movie also starts us sitting with the nurses speaking to Ed and Lorraine about Annabelle and the creepy happenings since they invited her in. Thankfully this time, we have a more detailed view of what happened to them, including some great flashbacks to the doll terrorizing them. We then see Ed and Lorraine in a lecture hall, answering questions about who they are and what people call them. I think these two scenes are great to help introduce us to who Ed and Lorraine really are. The explainer here is fine because they do it in an interesting way. There is also a text screen here to give you a little more detail; thankfully, it’s on the screen long enough for us slow readers to get every word. This lecture is also where they meet Carolyn and agree to come to her home to help her.
The Perron family has just purchased a house in the country, right off a lake, and they are moving in. They are Roger and Carolyn Perron and their five young daughters. There is, of course, the happy moving-in scene, with the angsty teenage daughter complaining about having to move. The disturbances are minor at first, as per usual, and of course, start with one of the children, a nasty smell, a freezing house, and some strange sounds. There is also a family dog, but we know what that means, so here is your trigger warning.
The disturbances get to a point where the entire family is now sleeping together in the living room to stay safe, which is when Carolyn seeks out Ed and Lorraine. They arrive at the house and start asking questions and are shocked to hear the extent of the activity. They research the property and decide to bring in their team, Drew, their assistant, and Officer Brad. The officer is there to be the nonbeliever voice of reason, and he gets a lot more than he bargained for.
The entity grows angry with the team and acts out. Ed even places crucifixes around the house once the cameras and microphones are set up to “really piss them off.” The images and sounds caught on the equipment are sent to the priest they had spoken to earlier, and he sends them off to the Vatican to get the exorcism for the house approved. The disturbances that were minor become violent and take hold of the family, throwing a few of them around and even attacking Lorraine.
Yay or Nay
There are some really great scenes here; as good as the movie is as a whole, the parts are also really interesting. A scene where the entity follows them home and is messing with their daughter while they are away. There is also an homage to Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. There are a few storylines I skipped over to not give anything away, but trust me, this is a must-watch.
There are a few jump scares, but it’s more about the general feeling of fear and knowing something is always about to happen. It may be a bit obvious that I am going to say YAY here, especially since I am writing about the entire Universe of this film, but you should grab your snacks, shut the lights, and enjoy.