Angelica ChongJames Wan’s sequel to his 2013 classic deserves a spot on the horror hall of fame.
The Conjuring 2 is making a killing in the global box office thanks to its director James Wan’s winning formula: putting believable stories and likeable characters before horror and gore.
The sequel to the Malaysian-born Australian director’s 2013 hit horror flick The Conjuring is loosely based on 2 true stories in the 1970s – the Enfield Poltergeist in north London and the Amityville Horror in New York. The film continues to follow real-life paranormal investigators Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) as the couple look into the 2 widely-reported cases of demonic possessions.
While the heroes remain the same in the sequel, the villains have changed. Haunted doll Annabelle (which had its own spin-off in 2014) has made way for demon nun Valak (Bonnie Aarons) this time. An angry old man Bill Wilkins (Bob Adrian) who dies in his home and decides to possess its new child occupant Janet (Madison Wolfe) also contributes to the scarefest.
James Wan is by now widely recognized as a master of horror. From Saw to Death Silence, Death Sentence, Insidious, Insidious: Chapter 2, The Conjuring 1 and The Conjuring 2, the horror films that he directed has grossed almost US$500m (adjusted for ticket price inflation) to date, according to Box Office Mojo. Further, his box office success is also accompanied by critical acclaims – a real feat for horror films as the genre often appeals to only horror hounds.
At the heart of Wan’s success is his ability to create spine-chilling backdrops for good vs. evil stories inspired by real-world events. Raelene Chan, 20, who prefers The Conjuring 2 to its predecessor, said she was really spooked by the use of archive photos and voice recordings of the “true” paranormal events during the credit roll. “That really sent chills down my spine,” she told the UrbanWire.
Wan is also extremely skilled at creating likeable protagonists and putting them up against the frightening unknowns. He connects the audience with his heroes, make them emotionally vested in the struggles before scaring the life out of them with his haunting set pieces.
“The Conjuring is already very good, but the sequel delves deeper into the characters and their past and offers much more than horror,” said Kimberly Lim, 19. “I feel this is very different and much more interesting.”
On the whole, we would say even if stories of haunted houses and demon possessions do not appeal to you, The Conjuring 2 is a scary ride worth taking if you’re in for a solid piece of storytelling.
Trivia: The demon nun in The Conjuring 2 will get her own movie soon. Rumor also has it that The Conjuring 3 is in the pipeline.
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Release Date: 9 June 2016
Runtime: 134 minutes
Language: English
Censorship Rating: NC16
Genre: Horror
Director: James Wan
Featured Cast: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga
Take a look at the trailers of past movies directed James Wan below!
1. Saw (2004)
https://youtu.be/S-1QgOMQ-ls
2. Death Silence (2007)
3. Insidious (2010)
4. The Conjuring (2013)
5. The Conjuring 2 (2016)