The Conjuring, directed by James Wan, has hit the big screens and if you haven't had the opportunity to get out and see it, I highly suggest you do. This, of course, if you like the crap scared out of you. It has been some time since I have spent $9 on something that really pleased me in this horrific fashion. A lot of jumping, gasping, and fidgeting around in the audience between moments of silence and suspense. If you are a horror buff - I.E....The Shining, Silence of the Lambs, The Exorcist, John Carpenter's, The Thing (My four favorites).....you will be moved to have both hands locked on to each arm of your theater chair.
As there is a great history that lays a foundation for this demonic tale, the time of the movie is set in the late 60's, early 70's. It is, really, cool to watch an entire production not try and capture a time or age but, actually, present it in a way that is so well-done and convincing that you are there, caught in the period. The characters and the choice of actors who play them is committed in splendid fashion and accuracy. Some of them silly, some of them serious. All of them about to face unimaginable horror.
Two of these characters, paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse. In tandem, they work with the Catholic church performing exorcisms and eradicating lost spirits from possessed people or homes. Most of their investigations lead to the discovery of old pipes in the attic that, when pressurized, bump against wood and make a haunting noise. That is not the case in this farmhouse.
On the grounds of this farm, unspeakable tragedy has dug itself in, deeply, from a time long ago. Through what looks to be a very sweet deal with the bank, this young, hard-working couple has found what they see as their paradise of the future, a beautiful, old farmhouse on a pond in the secluded countryside. Here, they can raise their five girls and their sweet collie and live out the their dreams. When the audience hears the first clap of two hands....you will know that what is coming is far from good.
If I have a criticism, I will say that some of this has been done before - gimmicks and scenarios used in other horror films of past. However, James Wan ties these tricks of the trade in to his plot so very fluidly that there is no time to sit and make criticism because something else is just about to scare the crap out the audience, again, at every turn. With this, I say, "ok, James - go ahead and use them again because you have allowed me to find joy, once more, in horror film."
For a wine pairing I will present something powerful and deep - a wine that means business and is built to make an impression on the memory. My suggestion is the 2007 Two Hands Shiraz from the Barossa Valley, down under. This wine is deep and dark with serious expression of black and ripe fruit. Two hands to help you grip your chair in the theater....one glass of Two Hands Shiraz when you return home to calm your nerves. Flat-out, a really well-done ghost story of high-horror caliber.
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