"The Conjuring"
Directed by James Wan
Starring Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Lili Taylor, Ron Livingstone, Shanley Caswell, Jayley McFarland, Joey King, Mackenzie Foy
Horror, Thriller 
112 Mins
R

The Conjuring represents that rare breed of horror that'll actually have you wary of bumps in the night for days to come. Rather than a repetitive one-and-done game of "where's the [insert evil entity here] going to appear next?" James Wan has crafted something rich in atmosphere, thriving not on jump-scares but within the DNA of its underlying psychological horror. Like the great genre flicks of the past, The Conjuring is able to present a demonic presence as a likely possibility. In this case, possession and exorcism are presented as undeniable realities. The upper-tiered acting, eerie vibes, and genuine scares add up to a tenacious nail-biter more content to tingle your spine than work your funny bone.

The "based on a true story" gimmick has always inspired doubt, especially within the confines of the horror genre. Audiences are natural skeptics concerning the cold hard truth of the "true events" taking place and for good reason. In most scenarios, we expect the setup to be somewhat congruent with the facts but the stilted Hollywood payoffs in the third act often leave us with cocked eyebrows and scrunched faces of incredulity. While much of the same can be said of The Conjuring, there is a degree of credibility to its dubious framework in large part due to the blessing of the two true-life characters on which the experience is based.