By Melissa Antoinette Garza
Over the last few years, I have been lulled into a safe secure sleep with new horror movies. With the exception of home invasion films which always scare me, I have not been truly scared by a mainstream Hollywood movie in years. Even when I’ve enjoyed them it was either for entertainment value or because they were so bad they were good. I haven’t been really frightened in years.
I went into The Conjuring with the same attitude I went to see Dead Silence (2007), The Amityville Horror (2005), Evil Dead (2013), Cabin in the Woods (2012) etc. Now, those movies aren’t all bad. Some are awesome, but they’re just not scary. In this film, I remembered why I would run out of my bedroom when I was a kid after waking up and noticing that some 70s horror film had come on. I remember when I was about 7, I woke up and saw Leatherface cutting his own leg at the end of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). I slept in my mom’s room that night. Hmmm…I wonder what my mom is doing tonight and if the offer to come into her room when I’m scared still applies?
I haven’t felt this way about a scary movie in years. All that kept going through my mind was the original tagline for The Amityville Horror (1979). “For God Sakes, Get Out,” and I wasn’t directing that towards the characters in the movie but to myself. I wanted to get the hell out of the theater but the movie was so good that I couldn’t look away.
This is what I love about old school horror movies. It’s definitely a throwback to films like The Exorcist (1973) and Rosemary’s Baby (1968). It starts off fairly slow but that’s good. It built up atmosphere and dread.
The movie opens with these two nurses talking to demonologists Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga). They explain that their evil doll is possessed by a small child named Annabelle Higgins. The doll has recently become violent after at the suggestion of a medium they allowed the 7 year old ghost to possess the doll. Ed and Lorraine explain that the doll isn’t really possessed but instead being used by an inhuman demon with the hopes of possessing a human. The Warrens take the doll and put it in their occult room where all of the items from past paranormal adventures.
To be honest, I didn’t find Annabelle that scary. Partially, because the doll they chose bore a resemblance to Glen/Glenda from Seed of Chucky (2004). The “real” Annabelle that is kept at the Warren museum was a Raggedy Anne doll. I don’t know if they used the other one because they thought it was scarier or because of copyright infringement. Personally, I think the Raggedy Anne doll would have been scarier.
The rest of the fright-fest definitely scares the hell out of me. The movie really begins as Roger (Ron Livingston) and Carolyn (Lili Taylor) move in with their daughters to a new home out a farm. Soon, strange things begin occurring. The clocks always stop at 3:07 AM, their youngest daughter starts talking to a young dead boy Rory, the middle daughter keeps getting ripped out of bed, Carolyn is being locked in the basement and beaten up while sleeping, and voices can be heard saying that the whole family is going to die.
The Warrens arrive and despite Ed’s fear for his wife who recently had a bad experience with an exorcism, he decides to do everything to help the family out. They put cameras and equipment around the home to capture anything paranormal.
They don’t have to wait too long. Things go crazy and the demon is scary as hell.
Some of the events that occur, especially concerning Carolyn is predictable but it still plays out really well.
The acting is great. I cared about the characters. The old school music was great to hear. In all, I was completely engrossed in the movie so much so that I didn’t take note of anything. Usually, I notice how many times owl figurines are used in movies. They’re used quite a lot and I’ll always notice that they’re hanging in odd places. After the movie, my husband said, “I’m shocked you didn’t mention the owls in the bathroom.” I didn’t notice them. I was just that afraid where I’m sure an owl could have been dancing on the screen and I wouldn’t have noticed.
It goes without saying that I would definitely recommend this movie. It’s the first time since being with my husband where I got so scared that I’m pretty sure I scraped his leg. When the demon first appeared, my fingernails went right into him. I’m not sure why that was my go-to reaction, but I’m fairly certain he hopes I find a different one when I’m scared.
Whether or not this is true events or just a fictionalized film, it’s awesome. This is what makes me love and dread horror at the same time. It’s the feeling of being at the top of a rollercoaster, knowing you’re going to fall, but just hanging there for an hour and a half. There’s nothing like it and I love it.
I may not look at a mirror for the next two weeks afraid of who may be looking back at me, but it was absolutely awesome.
For those interested in a fun interpretation and an equal appreciation for the genre and film, internet show celebrity Spoony put up a review with his brother Miles that highlighted some really good points that initially were missed by me. It’s on youtube and I watched it after coming back from the movie. Spoony is among Brad Jones and Doug Walker as some of the greatest talent out there. It’s always fun to hear the thoughts of others, who enjoy the horror genre, talk about a movie that actually delivers real scares.
I actually researched the Warrens after I got back from the movie. I found it interesting though not very compelling. I know they helped in cases like The Amityville Horror and The Haunting in Connecticut. I’ll say they have more courage than I do. I would not willingly want to be in a haunted house. I’m a bit of a skeptic, especially when you consider how much money can be made in telling ghost stories, but it’s still interesting. I will say that the “real” story behind The Haunting in Connecticut is far better than the awful film.
Overall, I would highly suggest any true horror fan go to the movies and see The Conjuring. I’ll probably go see it again. Hopefully, this time I’ll be a bit calmer. I just wasn’t expecting something this horrifying. I just watched an 80s horror movie called Prison yesterday. That was about a haunting and it was a fun movie. It wasn’t scary but it was fun. I was expecting to be entertained….not petrified. Yet still, it was awesome and I couldn’t have asked for anything better.
Scared Stiff Rating: 9/10
