Rating of
3/4
A Sequel Worthy of the Original
Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/12/16
James Wan has done a great job of turning standard cliches into horror gold. With The Conjuring he turned a ghost story (based on true events) into a thing of beauty in a genre that was rapidly fading due to a glut of "found footage" overload. This time around he sticks to his guns and once again delivers one a story (again based on true events) that delivers the creepiness along with the jump scares.
We open with the Warrens, Ed and Lorraine (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) taking part in their most famous case - the Amityville haunting. When Lorraine has a terrifying vision of the murders, she follows an entity into the basement where it manifests itself into the pointy-toothed, white-faced infernal nun. She is shown a vision of her husbands death - a vision that has haunted her for several years.
After the encounter, Lorraine wants the couple to take it easy and not take on any new cases for awhile. But across the pond in Enfield, England a single mother (Frances O'Connor) raising four children is about to find something much worse than a leaky washing machine. It turns out the youngest daughter, Janet (Madison Wolfe) has become a magnet for a restless spirit in the house, a former occupant by the name of Bill Wilkins. What starts off small - knocking, moving toys and the occasional sleepwalking, soon intensifies so that local police and the news are brought by. When no one can explain the moving furniture and guttural voices, the case soon reaches the Warrens. The two cannot leave a family to suffer and thus they take on the case.
Wan brings out the best when he focuses on individual moments. Janet hiding under the covers with a flashlight. A firetruck rolling down the hallway from a darkened tent. An encounter with a terrifying painting. These moments, often culminating in the proverbial jump scare, might seem lazy to some, but Wan makes each of these moments their most effective. The only time he stumbles is when he tries too hard - the whole "Crooked Man" thing veers to far into CGI for my tastes. Let's also not mention the use of London Calling - the most overused "we need a British song for effect" used in too many films.
Anyways, the 70s setting can be distracting, but he manages to make things mostly right. The romance angle between Ed and Lorraine is a bit much - cheesy at parts even - but when he focuses on the horror, things move along much better. It helps that he continues to benefit from excellent casting. Wilson and Farmiga continue to be excellent choice while Wolfe is the true standout as the troubled Janet. Her three siblings are all played by newcomers, the oldest, Margaret by Lauren Esposito while stuttering brother Billy is played by Benjamin Haigh and Charlie by Patrick McAuley. For their first time out, you might think such a film would overwhelm, but they really do all come across quite well. It's also nice to see Franka Potente in a small, though vital, role.
Overall, if you were a fan of The Conjuring, this film is a must-see. It continues the same thrills and chills and, yes, those amazing jump scares. Once again, the story is embellished and not everything works but, in general, for a horror film these days it easily stands out amongst the crowd and I hope Wan continues to follow the Warrens, at least one more time.
