The Conjuring 2 (2016) Dir: James Wan

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The legitimacy of the Enfield haunting may be up for debate, but it's infamy in the true crime and supernatural communities is not. Much like the Amityville haunting that the film references, the real life events that supposedly affected the Hodgson family have lived on in the memories of both its believers and doubters. James Wan's version of events, told through the lense of the equally controversial Warren family, has been fairly well-received by the horror community, though it certainly isn't perfect.

Visually speaking, I noticed a marked difference, and improvement upon the predecessor of the film. It wasn't so washed of colour, which I for one liked - I understand the aim of doing it, especially in horror films, but some of them go too far with it. Wan utilised the framing of his subjects quite nicely, which kept the audience anxiously looking to the peripherals of the screen or in the background of shots.

However, I can't say that I found it particularly scary. I had, in fairness, seen this film once before, but not in some time, so the lack of effectiveness, particularly in regards to the attempted jumpscares, was disappointing. Only one jumpscare got me even a little bit, which was pretty unfortunate. James Wan, in both this and his 'Insidious' franchises, laid the blueprint for a lot of the 2010's horror films, and while it worked for a while, the tricks have become all the more tropy and predictable, and just don't do the job anymore.

The major problems these films have is that they validate the controversial Warren family's claims under the geise of being "true events", rather than alleged and extremely disputed or refuted. If one treats these events as purely fictional, it's almost easier to suspend disbelief. Treating the story as if it really happened makes it feel almost silly, especially if you are somebody who believes that the Warren family used and profited off of fraudulent or scared families.

Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga once again showed up and showed out in their iconic leading roles. The validity of the real life people they play can be questioned, but the commitment with which these two actors play them can't. I truly believe that both Wilson and Farmiga make these films so much more watchable than they really have any right to be. They have screen presence, they have strong chemistry, and they have some pretty believable reactions to the supernatural stimuli.

The supporting cast gave a variety of fairly good performances, particularly Madison Wolfe, who had some really strong scenes towards the end of the film. Meanwhile, the likes of Frances O'Connor, Lauren Esposito, Benjamin Haigh, and Simon McBurney were watchable, if slightly comical on occasion. This was especially true of McBurney, whose character was a little odd in his characteristics.

Overall, despite my issues with the real life people involved in this case, I can't deny that it was still a compelling horror film, for the most part. The film has its flaws, but from an entertainment perspective, its good stuff. I think the first film is better, its certainly creepier, but this isn't without its moments. The protagonists are by far the most interesting aspect of the films, which is both a good and bad thing.