Having turned down what he described as a life-altering amount of money to direct Fast 8, James Wan instead opted to helm the eagerly anticipated return into the life of paranormal investigators, the Warrens, with The Conjuring 2. However you can’t help but feel that he should’ve taken the pay check, for the former is a rare franchise that is somehow getting better with time, a compliment that sadly can’t be made of The Conjuring.
Following on from the horrors of Rhode Island, Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) decide to call it a day on their extraordinary career, particularly when the latter is haunted by visions of the malevolent spirits she has encountered in her vocation. However when they learn of single mother Peggy Hodgson (Frances O’Connor), who professes that her house is encumbered by dark forces, and that they’ve possessed her daughter Janet (Madison Wolfe), the Warrens simply cannot help but lend a hand, and when they fly to the former’s modest Enfield abode, they’re taken aback by the sheer level of darkness that exists, knowing fully well this could be their most punishing challenge yet.
Using a real life set of events that inspired the recent television series The Enfield Haunting, Wan ensures this endeavour is undeniably a cinematic one, affectionately adhering to the tropes of the genre to create what should be a intense, if somewhat enjoyable, collective experience. Wan is as committed to creativity as he is to scares, with a resourceful means of telling this narrative, presenting the Hodgson household, and its inhabitants, with a roving camera shot that moves between rooms, and through walls, making for a well-crafted slice of contemporary cinema that transcends genre limitations. Staggeringly, even English culture has been depicted in an authentic manner, avoiding caricature that could so easily derive from a 70s set piece.
Wan is evidently a huge fan of the horror genre, and doesn’t shy away from tradition, evident in the typical shot of an empty rocking chair, or the swing outside, swaying without any sign of breeze – very obvious, cliched additions, but implemented in a loving manner which lets it off the hook. Wan also addresses any sceptics and doubters in the audience, by doing so within the movie itself, offering the alternative viewpoint – as we watch talk-shows as the Warrens are confronted by cynics claiming it’s all garbage. They represent us, in many regards, for we too go in with shades of doubt, and Wan is then vying to win us around much as the character are their critics.
However for any such positives, we have a narrative which goes around in circles, getting rather tedious as we approach the latter stages. Perhaps the scares come too early, as this is an unrelenting affair with no let up from start to finish – and by the middle act we’re bored as the same thing happens over, and over again, and we’re expected to still be shocked by the same scares. This is all indicative of a film that is simply far too long, with no need whatsoever to be over two hours. As a filmmaker seemingly ahead of the curve, it’s a shame for this to be the case, and also means that the pun, “James Wan, Horror Nil” is very difficult to shoehorn into this review.
