Directed by James Wan, 2013's The Conjuring did pretty serious business at the box office and was actually given an R-rating despite the absence of any real gore or adult language and a complete absence of sex. Wan might be best known for Saw but as his filmmaking style has evolved over the years, he's started showing a knack for more atmospheric work and with this film, well, he nails it. The Conjuring is pretty scary stuff.

The story is set in the early seventies and it follows the Perron family, led by father Roger (Ron Livingston) and mother Carolyn (Lili Taylor). Together they have five daughters: Andrea (Shanley Caswell), Nancy (Hayley McFarland), Christine (Joey King), Cindy (Mackenzie Foy) and April (Kyla Deaver) and the whole crew have just moved into an old farm house in rural Rhode Island. Things are fine at first but not long after moving in, Carolyn starts to wonder if they're not alone. Things seem off in the house and there definitely seems to be some sort of presence that is less than thrilled with their having taken ownership of the place. Carolyn is hearing voices of children around the house, their dog winds up dead and something seems to be targeting Nancy specifically.

Carolyn is, understandably, quite freaked out. To try and figure out just what exactly is happening to her family she enlists the aid of Ed Warren (Patrick Wilson) and his clairvoyant wife Lorraine (Vera Farmiga), two demonologists. It doesn't take them long to confirm that, yes, there are spirits here and they tie into the house's violent past which stems all the way back to the death of an accused witch who hanged herself on the grounds over a century ago. As Ed and Lorraine try to do the right thing by the Perron family, their lives begin to merge as they attempt to uncover the truth behind the hauntings and hopefully find a way to put an end to the activity.

Based on a true story documented by the Warrens (who were a real life paranormal investigator duo long before shows like Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures were on the air), The Conjuring may not necessarily offer anything that seasoned horror fans haven't seen before, but it does a damn fine job of ramping up the tension and the scares that it's deceptively simply haunted house story can offer. At times it feels a little bit like The Haunting with maybe a bit of The Amityville Horror (another real life case which the Warrens were involved in) and The Exorcist thrown in, but even if it is a bit on the derivative side Wan does such a great job sucking us into the story that most won't mind if things are a little familiar now and then. The principal way in which Wan is able to accomplish this is by crafting some likeable characters.

Lili Taylor is great as the concerned mother. She's believable in the role not only in her worries about the safety and sanity of her children but also in how she expresses terror once she begins to experience these things herself. Her interaction with Ron Livingston as her husband is a bit underplayed but they make a good duo. Additionally, the five young actresses who play the Perron girls are also quite good. The real stars of the show, however, are Wilson and Farmiga as the Warrens. They successfully bring a nobility and conviction to their characters that make them not only fascinating to watch but completely bankable even if their beliefs are obviously going to seem questionable to skeptics. There's a scene in the movie where Ed is concerned about the effects that all of this is having on his wife and she insists they continue regardless because according to their faith and belief system, it's the right thing to do. Here we have the right mix of the genuine love and affection that should be evident between a married couple and a commitment to cause, the kind that makes stories like this succeed in the first place. Wilson and Farmiga shine here, you never once get the impression that they feel this material is beneath them and they fully invest themselves in doing their part to craft a really successful horror movie. The genre sometimes gets a bad rap and can be written off as a playground for check cashers and ‘has been' types but these two are into it and the movie is all the better for it. The acting in this movie is excellent across the board.

Adding to all of this is some excellent photography and a perfect location. The Perron house seems warm enough at first but as the activity within takes on a decidedly darker tone, it quickly evolves into a web of shadows and proves to be a wickedly appropriate playground for the forces that plague the family. Excellent use is made of shadow and light and while, yes, we do get a few quick reveal type jump scares we just as often get that beautiful slow burn, that increasing sense of impending dread in that you know something is coming, you know it's going to freak you out and yet you cannot look away. There's no overdose of CGI here, no heavy gore, just great filmmaking and very strong performances put together with a clever eye for composition and flow. The Conjuring is a great movie by any standard. Believe the hype.

Video:

The Conjuring arrives on Blu-ray from Warner Brothers in AVC encoded 1080p high definition framed at 2.40.1 widescreen and all in all it looks excellent. The movie is obviously intended to have taken place in the seventies and the color palette and shooting style used while making this film replicate that effect quite nicely. Shot on digital video there are no problems with print damage whatsoever, while detail tends to be fantastic throughout. The close-up shots show very accurate looking skin tones, no waxiness at all, and you can note individual pores or strands of stubble. Texture is great, you can pick out spots in a coating of dust on a piece of furniture where something brushed up against it and left a trail and you can note the fibers in articles of clothing too. With much of this movie taking place indoors and in low light, it's refreshing to see shadow detail look as good as it does here, there weren't any noticeable instances of obvious compression artifacts and only some really minor rush to note. This is, by any standard, an excellent transfer.