Ensign Lestat's Film Log, 11/09/2016
I'm always excited when it comes to horror films, even though I have grown used to disappointments and low expectations. Nothing is that scary any more, and it isn't because there's a lack of jump scares or that I'm getting older - it's the fact that logic and practicality seem to go out the window when film studios make a horror. By the time you wrap your head around the stupidity on display, you can't quite relax enough to get scared.
Lo and behold 'The Conjuring 2', the sequel to probably one of the poorer films by James Wan. The original wasn't great, and its insistence on being based on a true story only detracted from its scares even more. Part 2 follows real-life ghosthunters Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) as they exorcise demons at the Amityville house, then try and quit, then try and prove that a family in Enfield is lying about their poltergeist, before deciding to save this family and attempt to save themselves.
It's a lot to pack in, even in the over-stretched runtime of two and a quarter hours. Despite receiving top billing, the Warrens are on screen far less than the Hodgson family. The Hodgsons' suffering is given prime importance through the detailed recreation of their house and the many occurrences there.
A lot of people liked 'The Conjuring', but it and its sequel are hard to enjoy given that they are based on alleged true stories. It's outrageous to believe any of this actually happened, and the knowledge of that holds you back from truly becoming immersed in the world of the film.
It doesn't help that the tone and pacing of the film is completely off. Perhaps it's time for Wan to look at new projects, but his excellent style and storytelling skills have taken a backseat to showmanship. The production values of this film are mind-boggling, and certain aspects of the direction are stellar. Unfortunately these bright sparks end up doing nothing more than shedding light on the many failings in direction.
What Wan is great at is eking out the suspense and imbuing scenes with tension. He also utilises exciting techniques that make the film look slick and beautiful. But, a number of scenes have overlong preambles, most of which end with a fizzle. There's not much in way of a payoff from most of the attempted scares either. In an effort to draw it out, the shocks become long-winded sequences that have no substance. Spoilers ahead, so beware.
One of the first instances that the tone of the film is off comes during a quiet scene between the Warrens. At Amityville, Lorraine saw a vision where a demonic nun alludes to the death of a shadowy figure. It doesn't take Einstein to figure out the statuesque silhouette belongs to Patrick Wilson.
Now, this nun is freaking scary as hell to look at, and would have made for a worthy adversary in the film. It's a different story that she gets relegated to third place, but I digress, back to the Warrens.
Back in their own home, Lorraine wakes up one morning to find her husband painting. We aren't privy to the painting, but can guess it's something ominous. However, Lorraine's reaction is so subdued it feels like a complete copout! Ed has just drawn the purveyor of his own doom (the scary nun), and all Lorraine does is inhale and look away. She should have had at least a panicked look and a mini-freakout. It's moments like that which should be part of a significant beat that keep getting lost in the film.
I'm always excited when it comes to horror films, even though I have grown used to disappointments and low expectations. Nothing is that scary any more, and it isn't because there's a lack of jump scares or that I'm getting older - it's the fact that logic and practicality seem to go out the window when film studios make a horror. By the time you wrap your head around the stupidity on display, you can't quite relax enough to get scared.
It's a lot to pack in, even in the over-stretched runtime of two and a quarter hours. Despite receiving top billing, the Warrens are on screen far less than the Hodgson family. The Hodgsons' suffering is given prime importance through the detailed recreation of their house and the many occurrences there.
A lot of people liked 'The Conjuring', but it and its sequel are hard to enjoy given that they are based on alleged true stories. It's outrageous to believe any of this actually happened, and the knowledge of that holds you back from truly becoming immersed in the world of the film.
It doesn't help that the tone and pacing of the film is completely off. Perhaps it's time for Wan to look at new projects, but his excellent style and storytelling skills have taken a backseat to showmanship. The production values of this film are mind-boggling, and certain aspects of the direction are stellar. Unfortunately these bright sparks end up doing nothing more than shedding light on the many failings in direction.
What Wan is great at is eking out the suspense and imbuing scenes with tension. He also utilises exciting techniques that make the film look slick and beautiful. But, a number of scenes have overlong preambles, most of which end with a fizzle. There's not much in way of a payoff from most of the attempted scares either. In an effort to draw it out, the shocks become long-winded sequences that have no substance. Spoilers ahead, so beware.
One of the first instances that the tone of the film is off comes during a quiet scene between the Warrens. At Amityville, Lorraine saw a vision where a demonic nun alludes to the death of a shadowy figure. It doesn't take Einstein to figure out the statuesque silhouette belongs to Patrick Wilson.
Now, this nun is freaking scary as hell to look at, and would have made for a worthy adversary in the film. It's a different story that she gets relegated to third place, but I digress, back to the Warrens.
Back in their own home, Lorraine wakes up one morning to find her husband painting. We aren't privy to the painting, but can guess it's something ominous. However, Lorraine's reaction is so subdued it feels like a complete copout! Ed has just drawn the purveyor of his own doom (the scary nun), and all Lorraine does is inhale and look away. She should have had at least a panicked look and a mini-freakout. It's moments like that which should be part of a significant beat that keep getting lost in the film.
Take the scene where the kid Bill trips over his toy fire-engine. He rolls it back into his tent and then walks over to his room. But something doesn't feel right, and he keeps getting in and out of bed trying to see if anything is in his tent. This scene, despite being in one smooth take, goes on for absolutely forever. The final payoff - an omnipresence voice screams something that is unintelligible. We've wasted a good five minutes on this, but have got nothing out of it. What makes it all worse is that the incident takes place in the dead of night, when everything is quiet and everyone is asleep. How is it that none of Bill's family are awakened by the prolonged sound of the fire-engine? Especially the brother who is asleep in the same room as him? It's logical loopholes like that which bring the entire film down.
Another scene ends with the Hodgson girls being rocked by shaking beds - it's the laughable conclusion to another overlong scene where the characters are terrorised but the audience is no closer to finding out the truth.
At the same time, Wan includes a scene dripping with tension when Janet Hodgson is home sick and trying to watch television. When she's trying to fix the static, the camera is angled particularly so that we can see her and the reflection of the room in the screen. And of course, the reflection shows us something. This isn't the most innovative technique, but it's marvellous for a horror, especially considering the fact that this is not the point of the scene. That happens a few seconds later.
The film has plenty of long takes, most of which you tend to realise only after the fact. One scene however, stood out because it called attention to itself by being seemingly unedited. When the Warrens finally make it to the Hodgson case, they try and record the voice of the spirit speaking through Janet. But the spirit only speaks when they turn their backs to her. What should be just an expository scene becomes a whole new monster because of the direction. When the characters turn away from Janet, the camera focuses solely on Patrick Wilson, with Janet out of focus in the chair in the background. As Ed conducts the interview, eking out information from the spirit, we see the shape of Janet transform into Bill, but the camera never moves. It's a very long scene, especially long given that there appear to be no cuts. I was, unfortunately, so taken in by the technique that the suspense, if there was any, of the scene never struck me. Good, bad or ugly, it's a memorable scene, not least because of the pure performance on display.
There's also the case of the Crooked Man. What looked like a poorly rendered CGI creature is apparently a character actor of extraordinary talents. It makes one wonder why Wan and the writing team decided to have so many disparate creatures attacking this family when this guy and his creepy movements could have sold the film himself. Of course, he would have needed enough of a backstory for us to go on. But in the end all we get is an extra cog that is a brilliant directorial move but executed really badly. One of many, as can be seen.
The Warrens' main plotline is the idea that Ed's life is being threatened by the demonic nun, but no urgency or emphasis is placed on this. This subplot feels like it belongs in a completely different film, one where we would at least fear the death of a protagonist. Here, we are already aware the Ed lived on for several more years and that there was nothing supernatural about his passing. Hence, the worry that he is in actual danger isn't part of the experience. The film doesn't try to put him in any extra peril either. An(other) overlong scene where Ed becomes a handy man for the Hodgsons also ends with a copout, where not only does Ed not get attacked, but the family's concerns come under a cloud yet again.
The list of problems with this film could go on, and they outweigh the few positives. I've seen some people give this film a pretty high rating, which makes me wonder just how poor the quality of cinema is being produced and consumed for this to be given a pass.
'The Conjuring 2' is a nightmare to watch because it is a patchwork of baffling, stupid and pointless scenes, characters and plotlines. It's basis in reality makes it less credible, and the blatant similarity of its visuals and creatures only cements its place as the poor cousin of the 'Insidious' trilogy, which itself wasn't all that accomplished in the end, either. As a horror film fan, I readily admit that Wan's ideas are always great, but the execution keeps getting poorer. I would really love for Wan to find his 'Saw' abilities again and make tighter written stories; ones that us horror fans truly deserve. Here's hoping, but I wouldn't bet any money on it.
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| By the way, she's getting a spin-off of her own. Sleep well... |
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