Truly scary horror movies are hard to come by. I don't mean the kind that utilize jump scares for a cheap thrill, that's easy. I'm talking about the films that chill you to the bone and keep you up at night with every light turned on in your apartment. The Conjuring was one such film, as it told an extremely spooky tale based upon the real life paranormal investigations of Ed and Lorraine Warren. Now, the demon hunting/ghost busting couple are back for a sequel, so how scary is The Conjuring 2 ?
Believe it or not, the sequel may even be scarier than the original. While the first film focused on the case of a Rhode Island house that was haunted by the spirit of a witch from the 19th Century, the new movie shifts the focus to London, where the Warrens investigate a haunting that came to be known as the Enfield Poltergeist. As the story goes, the Hodgson family began experiencing phenomena such as unexplained knocking and objects moving on their own. This eventually led to the apparent possession of 11-year-old Janet, who can be heard speaking in a demonic voice in actual tapes obtained by Ed and Lorraine during their real investigation, now used as a very creepy promotional tool for the film.
If The Conjuring 2 were to follow the supposed real events of the Enfield Poltergeist to the letter, then it would have made for one terrifying movie. But of course, the film kicks up the horror to a whole other level. A major piece of this new horror puzzle comes in the form of a terrifying spirit viewed by Lorraine. This spirit has the appearance of a demonic nun straight from the depths of Hell, and she is pure nightmare fuel.
OK, so the movie certainly looks scary, but that could be misleading. Except for the fact that a number of people have already seen the film and confirmed that this is indeed one creepy flick. Owen Gleiberman of Variety said in his review of the film, "The Conjuring 2 makes it easy to revel, because [director James] Wan has a gift that most slam-bang horror directors today do not: a sense of the audience — of their rhythm and pulse, of how to manipulate a moment so that he’s practically controlling your breathing." Deadline's Pete Hammond admits he wasn't a fan of the original Conjuring but loved the sequel, saying it's the closest he's ever seen a film come to matching the terror of The Exorcist — regarded by many as the scariest movie ever. And they're far from the only critics to feel the same way. With a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 73 percent so far, the consensus is that The Conjuring 2 is the rare horror sequel that delivers real scares.
So if you're a fan of genuinely scary movies, odds are you'll love The Conjuring 2. Amd if you're not? Well then, you might want to sit this one out.
Images: Warner Bros. Pictures
