THINK FFUNun FILM REVIEW by Noel Tanti and Krista Bonello Rutter Giappone The Film: The Conjuring (2013) ««««« Director: James Wan Certification: 14 Conjuring Spookometer: 66666

Krista: James Wan’s film is irresponsi- tone, compared to Insidious, his previ- K: That’s true. Though in terms of ble for its appalling suggestion that the ous ghost film. The geeky paranormal unexpected shifts, these do occur of- Salem witch hunt was somehow a justi- researchers play a less central role. ten. Take that ‘odd’ devil scene in In- fiable massacre. The dead earnestness of sidious where it feels like a different those who ‘inspired’ it makes me shud- K: How does the motherhood bond in horror subgenre. There are these shifts der. The ‘true story’ malarkey is common The Conjuring compare to the father- in tone and style in The Conjuring too, in horror taglines but this movie seems hood bond in Insidious? but it is more consistent than Insidious more earnest about those credentials by overall. basing its characters on real people. N: The fatherhood bond is tenuous there. The mother is most worried about N: Insidious is simply superb up until Noel: You’ve got a point there. Even their haunted son. the ‘ghostbusters’ appear; then it be- though the story revolves around female comes goofy. characters, most of them are either ghosts K: You are right about the mother be- or victims. The true menace is mother- ing the emotional centre and her level K: Though I’d take any Lin Shaye char- hood itself. Even Annabelle the doll ex- of concern in Insidious. However, the acter over the Warrens. ploits maternal instinct to haunt its hosts. problem originates from the father, who The ghost of the witch, despite being af- passes on the legacy of astral projection. N: I am with you on Wan’s playful ter the children, first possesses the mother And it’s the father who rescues the son. approach. Honestly, I’d love to see a then tries to make her kill the child. I thought the mother-son relationship ‘mature’ James Wan film through and was more peripheral. She tries to influ- through. Given the right script, he K: Are you suggesting that the film dis- ence events but isn’t a moving force. would make a great film. Krista, could torts the maternal instinct? we say that The Conjuring is a second N: Off on a tangent: James Wan is such take at Insidious? N: Yes, as far as the witch’s ghost is con- a good filmmaker. He’s confident and cerned. That is why it tries to corrupt the knows exactly what he wants to get across K: I agree with what you said when other mothers. The males simply orbit. without resorting to boo! gimmickry. we came out of the cinema — that The scariest bits in the film happen with it refers back to his earlier film. Though K: That’s another thing: how seriously a static camera and no cuts. Just mise-en- I still prefer Insidious, because of those does it take itself? There’s the playfulness scène — a visually artful way of telling a jarring shifts from subtle to unsub- one associates with a Wan film, especially story. For example, the bedroom scene tle, which are tricky to pull off, but references to other horror movies, such with the two sisters. One of them points somehow work. The Conjuring is cer- as The Evil Dead (‘groovy’). Wan is a hor- at a ghost that is never seen. Since we’re tainly more polished, but I cannot ro fan who indulges in it for its own sake. watching a horror film, we know it’s quite see it as more ‘mature’ than In- there. And Wan sustains the scene long sidious, mainly because of its political N: I found The Conjuring very dark in enough to get under our skin. Brilliant! irresponsibility. •

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