The Re-Conjuring

Before I could watch the newest movie in The Conjuring horror franchise, I felt compelled to catch up with the second installment, which I'd missed back in 2016. The original movie had grown a bit in my estimation since I first saw it (both in my memory, and in re-watching it years later with my niece); I figured two more entries would be worth the ride.

The Conjuring 2 has paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren heading across the ocean to the U.K. to tackle a case with undertones of The Exorcist: a young girl is the focus of an evil spirit, possessing her to terrify both her and her family, and seemingly aimed at scaring them out of their house. The Warrens are there to bust ghosts, as Lorraine deals with her own frightening and recurring vision of Ed's death.

This sequel is considerably more story-driven than the original film. The first film focused almost entirely on the haunted family, whose isolation out in a rural area meant they were really the only characters to deal with; the Warrens and their team were used as accents, but to some extent were only secondary characters. The Conjuring 2 spends a lot of time on depicting the struggles of a single mother, setting up the family dynamics among the four children both at home and at school, gives them neighbors with a bit of personality too, and even fleshes out a few tidbits about the man who owned the house before. On top of all that, the Warrens themselves get a full story arc this time, centered on the danger of their work, their relationship to each other, why they do what they do, and more.

Because this tale is so dense, it's almost a half hour longer than the first installment. Unrelated, I think: the big set piece scares here aren't quite as effective as those in the first movie. The Conjuring 2 certainly has a "breakout character" in its creepy nun (who would spawn a spin-off franchise). But there's nothing here that rises to the level of the memorable "hide and clap" sequence of the original, or even its secondary "big moments."

Still, there is a low-grade tension that's held effectively throughout the entire movie. Mostly, this has to do with outstanding camera use by cinematographer Don Burgess and director James Wan. Light and shadow are super-effective, making your eye work just the right amount to discern detail. Frames are staged with carefully chosen empty space and background objects, constantly drawing your eye in nervousness over what you might see that the characters don't. Long camera takes are used to draw out chilling scenes, though rarely to a showy extent that make a scene more about the technique than the emotion its meant to evoke.

I think I liked The Conjuring 2 a little bit less than I now like the original. But not much. At a very solid B, with so many horror movies being subpar schlock, The Conjuring 2 is very much a horror movie that fans of the genre should watch and would enjoy.