Twin Peaks - Season 3
TV Season Watch
Directed entirely by David Lynch, the new SHOWTIME 18-part limited event series picks up 25 years...
How to be Interesting
David Gillespie and Mark Warren
Book
An irreverent, colourful guide to becoming more interesting and successful by gaining self-knowledge...
Canoe Paddles: A Complete Guide to Making Your Own
Graham Warren and David Gidmark
Book
Despite the growing interest in making paddles and canoes, it is difficult to find reliable...
The Financial Times Guide to Value Investing: How to Become a Disciplined Investor
Book
'Glen Arnold makes complex investment concepts understandable. He explains what the masters of the...
Woman Walk the Line: How the Women in Country Music Changed Our Lives
Book
Full-tilt, hardcore, down-home, and groundbreaking, the women of country music speak volumes with...
Music Essays
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
Book
'A refreshingly honest reminder of what the path to business success really looks like ...It's an...
George Hurrell's Hollywood: Glamour Portraits 1925-1992
Mark A. Vieira and Sharon Stone
Book
George Hurrell (1904-1992) was the creator of the Hollywood glamour portrait, the maverick artist...
Listen Again: A Momentary History of Pop Music
Book
Arguing that pop music turns on moments rather than movements, the essays in Listen Again pinpoint...
Mark Jaye (65 KP) rated The Conjuring (2013) in Movies
May 13, 2019
As an avid fan of horror I look for a few little things which if aren't apparent within the first minute decide on whether I'm going to bother with the rest of the film. Usually the company releasing the movie is a good starting point, reputable/recognised director or producer, recognisable actor/s, good production values - that sort of thing. I've seen some hum-dingers over the years - those films where Johnny Nobody has gathered several of his buddies together with a cheap camcorder or two and filmed some alleged zombie epic in the woods at the back of their school.
**The Conjuring is not one of those**
I like to think I have a strong disposition when it comes to scares - usually it takes a lot to make me squint. Examples that come to mind are 'Sinister', 'The Grudge', the end of 'The Ring' (you know, the scary dark haired girl climbing out of the TV!). The Conjuring is one of those - I watched this in the middle of the morning and found it pretty scary in places.
James Wan certainly knows how to make a movie of this type and is great at evoking atmosphere and notching up the scares as the film develops. In a nutshell, this is the alleged real life story of the Perron family who in 1971 moved into a new farmhouse. It isn't long before the usual shenanigans begin - pictures pulled off walls, doors knocking in the dead of night, the children befriending mysterious 'imaginary' kids (who we all know watching are going to show up at some point). The film sticks to the tried and tested story - gradual possession of one of the adults (Lily Taylor), gradually increasing appearances by ghostly figures, calling in the ghostbusters, gathering the proof, then the exorcism. It may be join the dots territory but it works.
Patrick Wilson shines and seems to be making his mark in films of this nature (Insidious and Insidious Chapter 2) - he portrays real life paranormal investigator Ed Warren who with his wife Lorraine (played just as well by Vera Farmiga) become immersed in the life of the Perron's making themselves targets of the supernatural force at work in the process.
The demonic spirit at work is that of a witch who was married to the guy who built the house back in the 1800's who cursed the land before committing suicide after murdering their child whilst a few days old. There is one particularly pant browning scene where the witch makes her first appearance atop a bedroom wardrobe....and I'll leave it there!
Quality. Best horror I've seen since Sinister.
Holby City - Series 19
TV Show
The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical...
Drama