The Conjuring (DVD)

when I initially heard of this film and primarily its association with Ed and Lorraine Warren, I had a lot of major expectations. Since I had seen them appear as guests on the Don Lane show in the late 70s, on Australian TV, they made a very strong impression; they spoke of their work more in the sense of a vocation and it was very evident that their strong and positive characters/personalities came through right to the forefront. On the show I saw them on, they played some audio tapes which may have come from the UK or may have been from the US, I don't recall, anyway these tapes were spooky, chilling, and if they ever sold them or provided them as an extra on a new version of this film of some of the documentaries about them, I would buy them at the drop of a hat. The essential point I'm trying to convey is that the character of Ed and Lorraine Go to the heart of the story in the conjuring, and I think you cannot divorce Ed and Lorraine as central and credible real-life characters without changing the story.Right from the start of the film the quality of tension underlies the entire film. James Wan makes the light and shade, as well as a couple of jokes, work immensely well for this film. Although I understand that this was scripted, it was supposed to be scripted from real-life, but thanks to the fact that there is no commentary of any kind, we simply don't know. I think it would be appropriate for the filmmakers to either get Lorraine Warren (if she wants to) do a commentary, or maybe have the writers do a joint commentary saying what is adapted real-life, and what is out and out fiction. Overall, at least from my point of view, I would classify this film as the scariest I've ever seen. I have been shut down about this, and told that MAMA, INSIDIOUS CHAPTER 2, and some other films are scarier, but given what I know about Ed and Lorraine, and that I like supernatural, ghost house type stories (however, this is so much more than just a ghost house story), I still maintain that this is a James Wan masterpiece that takes you on a tour of the dark side.When I received the DVD Blu-ray combo was happy to find that the cover was the hologram of one particular scene, and it's pretty cool. I still don't like the ultraviolet option since you have to sign up for two accounts (and they ask you for too much personal material), the file you can stream is only available for a limited time, and the so-called digital download presupposes you've passed over all the personal information before you can get the digital file. Anyway, I really wish the Studios would just can it with the UV garbage and provide a digital download. The Three extras are really great, since you get an interview with the original family, as well as the clearly terrified mother; there is also a special on Lorraine Warren, who takes her work very seriously, and the special feature is a very powerful bonus. The feature with James Wan, is a pleasure to watch, since he is obviously done his research on Ed and Lorraine, and it is clear James enjoys his work, and he knows what scares you...; Which makes his later claim, which he gave in a separate interview that I saw on the BBC, that he is leaving horror all the more devastating: there is simply no one of the caliber of James Wan that I am aware of. I for one, certainly hope he goes back on his statement that he is leaving horror, since I'll be lining up for tickets at the theater, and preorders for combo packs.***Amazon's Fulfillment services in Lexington KY is getting to be very bothersome; I had two orders thrown together in one BAG, and it looked like no care was taken with the orders at all.TAKEN 2 had the cover damaged, and the CD "NEW" had an obvious bend in the cover; only the CONJURING combo miraculously survived anything except a few minor dings; most of my orders in the last few months have been packed in the same careless manner, and some damage has been above and beyond normal shipping issues, since the el-cheapo packing is used a de-facto send method.

We love this series. Had to re-buy because video purchases disappear.

Horror movies lately have gone the way of parody films. No one knows how to properly do them anymore, and most don't even try. Compare old classic horror films like Nightmare on Elm Street or Friday the 13th to their respective reboots and you'll instantly notice that new horror film directors don't actually know what "horror" means and try to fill the screen time with gore, gratuitous nudity, silly jump scares and/or annoying shaky-cam.That's why I was pleasantly surprised by this film. Not only it avoids those pitfalls (it does have a few jump scares, but they're not cheap or unnecessary), it manages to actually tell a good story that can actually scare you. It might not make you jump from your seat or hide under the covers (it depends on what kind of person you are, really), but it will at the very least creep you out and leave you with an uneasy feeling several times.The first thing you want to do is ignore the "Based on a true story" sign. That's either purposefully misleading or an outright lie, for obvious reasons. Furthermore, it doesn't matter, since it doesn't add or take from your enjoyment of the story.The plot is, quite frankly, nothing new. A family moves to a secluded house in the woods and it turns out to be haunted, so they contact a somewhat famous paranormal-investigators couple to help them with their problem before they're driven insane. The plot bringing nothing new to the table isn't really a bad thing, since it's all about the execution.For starters, the movie counts with an amazing cast. No superfamous stars or silly Disney TV rejects here. Everyone, from the youngest to the oldest does a great job with their role. The visual style of the movie is also very appealing. The visuals on the movie and the make-up job are excellent, and the little CGI there is does a great job, and it's only used when necessary.Second, the characters here are well represented. While they're kind of a cliché (specially the family), they're actually interesting and likable people. They're cliché, but they're not one-note. This is very important, since it marks one of the reasons this movie is not like the awful horror films of later years: you actually care about these characters. For instance, the paranormal investigators are actually shown to be people who thoroughly investigate the cases to make sure there actually IS something paranormal occuring. Most movies will just claim these guys are always right and rational people are always wrong, but here, the couple recognizes that most cases of ghosts, spirits or haunting are actually tricks played on people by their own minds. This marks an important distinction, since in most "horror" films these days you hate the main characters so much that you end up rooting for the villain.Third, I can't state this enough: this movie is REALLY creepy. There are some parts that will give you goosebumps and make you see things that aren't there. The end shows up pictures of the actual people this film is based on. Those old-time pictures are usually quite creepy by themselves, more so here. There are small bits of the story that are left unexplained, which actually adds to the overall mysterious feel of the films, unlike other films, that leave you thinking "What the hell?" here the lack of specific details only adds to the film's appeal. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just say there are some times when the movie makes you think it's going to do one of those groan-inducing bad-horror-flick clichés, but it turns out to be something different.So, again, I think it's a pretty sweet film. As a last note, the quality of the Blu Ray picture and audio is great. I haven't checked the extras yet, so I don't know how good they are, but they seem to be a sizable chunk. If you have a Blu Ray player, that's the way to watch it.