By Brett Blake I walked into THE CONJURING 2 legitimately scared. Not because I was already on edge about how frightening the movie might be, but because the first CONJURING is one of the best horror movies of this century, one that was a hugely pleasant surprise and which I deem to be a modern classic of the genre. So I was, therefore, concerned that the sequel would be a lazy, cheap cash grab, and that it would lack the care and inventiveness that so clearly were part of the first film’s DNA. In short, I was worried THE CONJURING 2 would suck. I walked out of THE CONJURING 2 relieved and thrilled. It’s arguable whether or not it’s better than the first, but it’s absolutely on the same level of quality, from the craft of the filmmaking, to the performances, to the scares. Not only is THE CONJURING 2 a great horror movie, it’s just a fine movie, period, regardless of genre. Telling a (moderately or highly, depending on who you believe) fictionalized account of the Enfield Poltergeist incident, the film centers around the Hodgson family in England, and in particular young Janet (Madison Wolfe), who finds herself a conduit through which a sinister and malevolent entity begins to torment and oppress not only herself, but her family, as well. Into this fray, Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) arrive to investigate the family’s claims to see if they’re genuine. What they ultimately find is a malignant and evil force which threatens not just the lives of the Hodgson family, but the lives of the Warrens, as well. Director James Wan, returning from the first film, is absolutely at the top of his game here, and though he definitely affirms the belief that he’s perhaps the finest orchestrator of top-notch scares in the movie business today, that is not his biggest accomplishment with THE CONJURING 2. This film is incredibly well directed, and is a classy affair, to boot. There’s not even a hint of sleaze to be found in here (which I guess might disappoint some who dig that sort of thing), and instead we have a movie that wants to make us jump, certainly, and wants us to feel fear and suspense, but also wants us to be engaged with the characters. What Wan and his team achieve here is something that few horror movies even attempt, much less pull off: the characters feel like real, relatable people, and the end result of that is that we have a movie which has genuine emotional heft. We are made to care about the characters involved in this tale, and that makes the scares feel all the more potent. And what scares! Nobody knows how to construct and build frightening sequences up to a crescendo like James Wan. Though the movie is drowning in jump scares, none of them feel cheap or lazy, in fact there is a real sort of artistry to the way Wan stages them which makes the jumps feel incredibly satisfying, rather than annoying. The cinematography and the editing go hand-in-hand with this; it’s a wonderful-looking movie, chilly and atmospheric, and its camerawork is highly impressive (technically) at times, while delightfully restrained at others. Wan is a filmmaker unafraid to let shots linger for long periods of time, and there are several long takes in here that are not splashy or flashy, but serve to build tension in extremely effective ways. As a result, the editing allows sequences to play out for maximum effect, creating a deliberate but captivating sense of pace. And the pace doesn’t just serve the scares, but the character beats, as well, which have time to breathe and make an impact (some of the movie’s best scenes are character moments, in fact). All the members of the cast do fantastic work. Farmiga’s Lorraine walks a fine line between being a woman of deep conviction but also deep vulnerability, and she nails that contrast in ways that make Lorraine feel like a fully-rounded and complex human being. The work Wilson does as Ed makes for a fine juxtaposition; he plays the character as an intensely warm, humane guy, someone always willing to throw himself into the fire to help others, and that’s kind of a wonderful thing to see in a genre where characters are often morose, downbeat, or broken. Just as with the first film, Ed and Lorraine’s relationship feels genuine and lived-in, and it helps ground the supernatural elements in an identifiable emotional landscape. People like Frances O’Connor (giving one of the more demanding performances), Simon McBurney, and Franka Potente lend considerable credibility to the movie, but the true highlight of the cast is Madison Wolfe as Janet; this is a performance that marks her as a talent to watch in the future, because her work here is wrenching, touching, and - at times - convincingly eerie. Much of the success of the film hinges on the Janet character, and Wolfe knocks it out of the proverbial park. Some people may take issue with the ways in which the movie plays fast and loose with the supposed real events. If you happen to be one of the privileged few who are familiar with the Enfield Poltergeist case, and if you happen to be one of the even more select few for whom that case holds special significance… you might have some problems with the movie. As Hollywood is wont to do, the “true” story has been expanded in scope to better conform to the template of the modern horror movie, and some of the more low key disturbances documented in the real case have been embellished for cinematic purposes. I suspect most in the audience (almost all of whom will be hearing this story for the first time, despite this being one of the most notorious paranormal cases in history) will be happy to go along with the more souped-up, outlandish elements that have been brought into the story because they’re executed so damn well. But again, the die hard Enfield Poltergeist Fan Club could have some bones to pick with the movie’s “accuracy.” Beyond that, I have no reservations about calling THE CONJURING 2 a major success. When so many horror sequels are often transparent retreads, here we have what an ideal sequel should be: something that reminds us of all the things we liked about the first, but then takes off into new directions. If pressed to compare the two, the first CONJURING is slightly scarier, but 2 is easily more engaging on an emotional and character level, which feels like a fair trade-off. In any case, it’s one of the best movies of 2016.
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