Long time no see, my fellow horror lovers! It’s been a busy last couple of weeks for me, but the action in my life slowed down just in time, and I was able to go to an advance screening of The Conjuring 2 on Tuesday.
Just like in the first movie, The Conjuring 2 opens with the Warrens working on a case that isn’t the center of the movie. Last time it was Annabelle, this time it’s The Amityville haunting that inspired the movie everyone knows and loves, The Amityville Horror. After this we, once again, see Lorraine Warren wanting to take a break from their work with the paranormal, until they get word of the Enfield haunting in England. Many comparisons are being drawn between the Amityville case, and the Enfield one, like how violent the entity haunting the houses are, and whether it is just an elaborate hoax. The Warrens arrive to discover the truth, and help the Hodgson family before it’s too late.
Director ,James Wan, and writers, Carey and Chad Hayes, reunited to make The Conjuring 2 just as great as their first movie. Also returning were stars Patrick Wilson, and Vera Farmiga, back as Ed and Lorraine Warren. I am HUGE fan of both Patrick Wilson, and Vera Farmiga, but surprisingly they were not my favorite actors in the movie. They were fantastic in their roles, and I truly hope they get to see them return to them again soon, but Madison Wolfe stole the spotlight this time around. Wolfe plays young Janet Hodgson, the girl who the spirit in the family’s house most affected, talking to and through her. Previously, Wolfe could be spotted in small roles in the tv show Zoo, and movies like Joy, and The Campaign. By putting on an astounding performance in The Conjuring 2, Madison Wolfe proves that she is ready to take on bigger roles.
In my opinion, The Conjuring 2 is much scarier than its predecessor. The spirit that haunts the Hodgson family in Enfield, seemed to be much more active, and violent than the one that we saw haunt the Perron family in The Conjuring. Screams filled the theater almost non-stop, as spirits came out to play with the Hodgson family. The Conjuring 2 definitely kept me up at night. In order to get some sleep, I tried to block out all of the ghostly things I saw on screen and pretend that the scene where Patrick Wilson sang Can’t Help Falling In Love by Elvis took up the whole two hours of the movie, instead of only two minutes.
Like most movies based on true stories, there are some details about the Enfield haunting that are exaggerated, like how involved the Warrens really were with the case, and the origin of the spirit. These details seem like minor ones when you look at the story as a whole. Similar to how the Perrons were consultants on the first movie, the real Janet Hodgson was a consultant to the second. The Enfield haunting got a lot of attention from the media while it was happening in the 70s, therefor there was an abundance of interviews, photographs, etc that they could also use to help make the movie more authentic. For those of you who are interested in the real life aspect of the movie like I am, you’ll be in for a treat during the movie’s ending credits, where they play a tape, and show side by side comparisons of photos from the case and the movie!
The Conjuring 2 premieres June 10th, and I for one sure hope that it is only the second of many wonderful movies that this cast and crew will make based off of the case files of Ed and Lorraine Warren.
Before you go see The Conjuring 2 this weekend, make sure to check out the first film, and check out Ray’s review of it here.
