The Conjuring 4K 2013 Ultra HD 2160p

Story Movie

Ed and Lorraine Warren are detectives who investigate paranormal cases. One day they are approached by a family plagued by an evil spirit. Forced to battle a powerful demonic entity, the Warrens face the most frightening case of their lives.

Review 4K Movie

Contemporary horror is in a deplorable state, and unfortunately, this fact is undeniable. The genre's first serious problems began back in the 1980s, when a hurricane of similar slasher films first swept through cinemas and then, despite having run its course, decided to stay forever. The second similar trend is the current triumphant march of the haunted house subgenre, which translates from English as a house with ghosts. Of course, such films did not appear yesterday evening, but a long time ago (one can recall such rare examples as the American “13 Ghosts,” The Haunting, the Japanese Kaidan, etc.), but it was Paranormal Activity that had a bombshell effect in purely commercial terms. James Wan also tried his hand at the genre, shooting Astral in 2011, which, due to the creators' overuse of visual images of ghosts, was not at all successful and was, in general, a kind of loose remake of Poltergeist.

Two years later, Wan not only redeemed himself, but completely justified himself in the eyes of discerning viewers. The Conjuring is an excellent example of a high-quality horror film, which, very importantly, justifiably combines two subgenres: the aforementioned haunted house and exorcism films. The story of a family who moved into a house where they had to deal with increased attention from its former inhabitants is told in an atypical way. The entire film is like an entry from the diary of a couple of demonologists, illustrating a specific case, and the prologue of the film, which is quite organically linked to the main narrative in one of the later scenes, is intended to show the viewer what is to come, namely one of the main characters' work assignments. This concept, which is completely uncharacteristic of horror films, really works for James Wan.

The two storylines, which intersect, so to speak, under one roof, are quite entertaining, which is why the film is unlikely to appeal to teenage viewers who expect an abundance of blood and a stereotypical plot that follows the established patterns of the genre without unnecessary digressions. In this case, it is the everyday life of demonologists, who, like other people, tinker with car hoods and sew dresses for their daughters, suffer from problems at work, whatever it may be. This intertwining of storylines is one of the main strengths of the film—its logic, adequacy, and even, excuse me, realism. The characters who exorcise demons from houses are by no means hissing and cackling freaks, as they would inevitably be portrayed in a Tim Burton film. This is probably partly thanks to Vera Farmiga, whose sensual gaze is well suited to the role of a demonologist.

We cannot ignore the fact that the 1970s, in which this story unfolds, once again give the creators an advantage. The authentic atmosphere of horror is created in part by the fact that the characters are somewhat cut off from the outside world, without the gadgets in their hands and pockets that ruin the atmosphere in today's horror films. Here, a character possessed by a demon is in no hurry to tweet about it, because he has no way of doing so. And that's great.

Focusing on stylistic similarities with the horror films of the 1970s, in the second half of the film James Wan successfully refines the techniques used by William Friedkin in The Exorcist , with which The Conjuring cannot help but be compared. Wan plays on the famous scene from Friedkin's film in a dynamic, masterful, and extremely harsh way, which will undoubtedly provoke either joy or anger in avid movie fans. Of course, in terms of the drama of the characters' relationships, The Conjuring does not measure up to The Exorcist, but Lily Taylor and Linda Blair in makeup are almost sisters.

Incidentally, the amount of makeup in Wan's film is just right: there are no ghosts of muscular long-haired guys coming out of the notorious astral plane, nor demons vaguely reminiscent of the red villain from the first episode of Star Wars. As you might guess, there is not a single moment in the film where the audience would laugh in unison, noticing the absurdity of what they see, say, the obvious lack of logic in a particular plot twist. In fact, most modern horror films suffer from illogicality (sometimes reaching unimaginable degrees of audacity and absurdity), and James Wan's Insidious also suffered from this at times.

As they say, you can do it if you want to. The Conjuring is an unexpected success among film critics, knowledgeable viewers, and genre connoisseurs who are tired of banal “skeletons in the closet,” and it is a successful film because the story is fascinating, the characters are well-written, and the execution is in the best traditions.