It is rare that a sequel can match the quality of the first motion picture. Whether it is an effort to outdo the original, or simply an attempt to cash in on the popularity of the primary offering, it usually comes off as less original, with the story feeling lackluster – often blandly regurgitated. Yet, one film that is able to match its predecessor is James Wan’s 2016 horror flick The Conjuring 2.
Written once again by Carey and Chad Hayes, along with director Wan and David Leslie Johnson, the story picks up with the spectre-hunting married couple, Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) dealing with their most famous case, the Amityville house. Lorraine sensed a horrible presence in that home, with the ominous figure resembling some sort of demonic nun. During this vision, she witnesses the death of her husband at the hands of the spook.
Following the event, the pair are thrust into the spotlight – placing them on a number of media outlets. While they attempt to enlighten the world to what they must deal with, they are often met by skepticism and outright defiance by doctors and other naysaying professionals.
Meanwhile, in North London, Peggy Hodgson (Frances O’Connor) and her four children are beginning to get the feeling they are not alone in their home. Wan has a field day foreshadowing the scares, as we know that the shadowy tent that Billy (Benjamin Haigh) plays in will lead to something frightening, while the rotting leather arm chair in the family’s livingroom has an ominous vibe, and The Crooked Man zoetrope toy is more than creepy. Even the bell that their neighbour’s dog rings when it has to go to the bathroom gives us the shivers. Wan utilizes all of these things to build the eerie vibe as we feel the dread slowly growing in the home. It doesn’t help that daughter Janet (Madison Wolfe) seems to be sleepwalking and talking to some unseen figure while in a fugue state – scaring her older sister Margaret (Lauren Esposito).
It becomes too much, and the family flee to their kindly neighbours, Peggy (Maria Doyle Kennedy) and Vic Nottingham (Simon Delaney). They call the cops, who also witness the hauntings as they look for an intruder, and the story explodes in the media. Soon, reporters are buzzing around the Hodgson’s, and they reluctantly allow a crew in to film the happenings – hoping that it will get the word out to someone who can help.
Actor Steve Coulter, who reprises his role of Father Gordon in The Conjuring 2, with Filmizon.com’s Nikolai Adams at CAPE Cornwall 2016
Father Gordon (Steve Coulter), the Warren’s liaison with the Catholic Church, reaches out to them with this case. The church is wary of intervening, as the publicity surrounding the events could lead to them being ridiculed. They hire the Warren’s to investigate the occurrences to discover if it is real or if it is simply an elaborate hoax.
Lorraine is wary of taking on a new case, as Ed has unknowingly started seeing visions of the demon that she saw killing him. The calm, spiritual man talks her down, and the two head off to England.
What follows is a complex case that is difficult to unravel. They meet with Maurice Grosse (Simon McBurney), a British paranormal investigator who has been helping the family. The Warren’s soon learn that there is supposedly a crotchety old man named Bill Wilkins (Bob Adrian) who is haunting the home, ensnaring Janet and causing all of the chaos. The couple struggle to discover the evidence needed by the church, with Lorraine unable to sense any spirit, instead feeling the family’s anxiety. Is there some powerful presence orchestrating the direful situation, or is it all a hoax put on by the impoverished family?
Transporting us over to England, Wan places us in a perfect situation for scares. The dreary, early winter weather, with all of its grey rainy days, is excellent for a horror film. The house is of equal importance, capturing an eerie atmosphere. From the decaying leather chair with the mouldy wall framing it, to the water-filled basement (following a washing machine leak), each shadowy corner adds something to the film’s uncanny aura. It may also highlight just how lousy their landlord is.
Despite all of the scares, there are also moments of grace and levity found in this sequel. As it is set in the 1970s, comments about the lightweight cameras are humourous to our modern eyes and ears. But it is the moments of love between the Warren’s, as well as a touching scene where Ed does his best Elvis impersonation, singing “Can’t Help Falling In Love” to comfort the family in a time of need, that demonstrates the film’s message of love and friendship overcoming evil.
Always placing his camera in the optimal place for supreme scares (he uses some expertly timed long takes to place us in the centre of it all), James Wan has once again developed a superb horror film in The Conjuring 2. Minimizing the use of CGI, Wan realizes that less is more, with shadow, light, sound and creepy music (composed by Joseph Bishara) taking as much of the limelight as the horrific ghouls. For those of you who also love jump scares, there are a few that will have you flying out of your seat. Make sure to watch The Conjuring 2 this Halloween season; pull back the curtain and discover exactly what is haunting the Hodgson family.