The Conjuring - I'm gonna be scarred for life!!

In spite of how horrible After Earth was to me, I could still recall a single line that Will Smith said to his son - "Danger is real, fear is a choice". I didn't feel I had much choice except to feel fear or scared or terrified out of my pants when watching The Conjuring! I should've backed off knowing that even my friends who are huge fans of horror movies said that it was too much for them to handle. 

Curious enough, I went with it anyways with my a couple of friends (u guys owe me a new pair of jeans!!), and for the record it wasn't on my own choice to watch it - not that I regret (too much) after watching. 

The Conjuring tells the story of the Perron Family who moved into a huge farmhouse and soon after began experiencing paranormal activities. The story was told in the perspective of Ed and Lorraine Warren, a well-known American paranormal investigator, demonologist, author and lecturer associated with prominent cases of hauntings. Lorraine, Ed's wife, was gifted with the power of clairvoyance and assisted her husband in many of the cases they investigated. 

As noted in the beginning of the movie (in crude yellow font, if I may add) the pair had investigated many paranormal cases, but none so baffling as that of the Perrons experienced. Without revealing too much of the plot, The Conjuring  took place in the year 1971, when Carolyn and Roger Perron, along with their 5 daughters, moved into a (did I say) huge old farmhouse (that was waaaayyyy too remote to my liking). The moving had no notable scene except when the dog refused to enter the house (there.. I felt I said too much already). Following the discovery of an underground cellar by one of their daughters while playing clap and hide (I'm not sure if it's clap and hide or hide and clap - if you know please clarify in comments), every other scene reveals the paranormal activities that finally lead to a possession and exorcism. 

I suppose like many of the audience in the theatre around me, the small caption based on a true story catches our attention. Regardless whether or not The Conjuring was based on a real-life event in whole or partly, as a horror movie I can safely say it probably scarred me for life (and I have a pair of ripped jeans to prove it!) The cinematography, the makeup, the sound effects, the featured songs! I remember telling my friend that I wanted the songs from the movie, now I'm not so sure anymore. 

Typical in many horror movies, based on a true event or purely fictional, every little details is exaggerated to add the element of suspense. Every creak of wood, every droplet of water, every swinging door, bark of a dog, flapping of a bird's wing, that dramatic pause, the clap of a pair of hands, plays the audience's emotion. Questions after questions after questions popped into my mind - why didn't the dog enter the house? why was the cellar boarded up? that box of match on the stairs, what was it's significance? (demmit, I'm actually getting goosebumps remembering the scenes!!!)

Avid movie goers who happens to enjoy a good scare out of a movie every once in a while would probably jump to the fact that this movie was rated R (Restricted) by the MPAA (Motion Pictures Association of America). What it basically means is that children under 17 (wth? that was in their website - under 17's are children?) must be accompanied by parent or adult. (I thought I saw a couple of parents bringing their children probably under 10).

Producer Walter Hamada revealed that the given rating was not because of the usual blood and gore, offensive language, sex scenes or other usual offenders, but rather :

"When we sent it [to MPAA], they gave us the R-rating. When we asked them why, they basically said, ‘It’s just so scary. [There are] no specific scenes or tone you could take out to get it PG-13."

Director James Wan (as pointed out by Anonymous in the comments, is Kuching born) who also happens to bring about the success of Saw and Insidious added that the rating

“[Is] a testament to the studio for not f*cking with the film. It works and they are sticking to it and I’m very thankful for that.“

Surprisingly, the ending almost brought tears to my eyes as the exorcism began to fail. The director managed to capture an emotional essence of the Perrons experience not only the horrible ones but also the aspiring as well. Yet again, without revealing too much, I'm gonna leave you with some of the scenes to be anticipated in The Conjuring (not necessarily in order of appearance) - Locket, Matchbox, Wardrobe, Clapping, Dog, Birds, Clothline and linens, cellar. 

Ps : I'm almost certain my jeans ripped more and more at each and every scene - talk about being scared out of your pants!