The Conjuring is a 2013 American supernatural horror film directed by James Wan, and the first instalment in The Conjuring Universe.[1] It stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as real-life paranormal investigators Ed Warren and Lorraine Warren, and dramatises their investigation of the Perron family, drawn in part from Andrea Perron's memoir House of Darkness House of Light.[1]
Plot
Set in 1971, the film follows Roger and Carolyn Perron as they move their family into a dilapidated Rhode Island farmhouse, where they begin experiencing escalating and increasingly frightening supernatural activity. In desperation, Carolyn contacts Ed and Lorraine Warren, who uncover a history of dark occult activity tied to the property, and must confront a powerful entity threatening the family.
Production
The screenplay, by Chad Hayes and Carey Hayes, was originally written under the title The Warren Files before being retitled The Conjuring.[2] Development began in January 2012, with production starting the following month in Wilmington, North Carolina, filmed largely in chronological order.[1] In March 2013, the film received an R rating from the MPAA, which Wan described as being for content "too adult" for a lower rating.[2] Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema initially planned an early-2013 release before moving to a summer date following positive test-audience response, releasing the film in North America on 19 July 2013.[2] Promotional materials in the run-up to release featured the real Perron family, alongside a featurette, The Devil's Hour, in which Lorraine Warren and other paranormal investigators discussed the supernatural events depicted in the film.[2] The score was composed by Joseph Bishara, who had previously worked with Wan on Insidious (2011), and was released on 16 July 2013.[3]
Reception
The Conjuring received largely positive reviews, holding an 86% "Certified Fresh" critics' score and an 83% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, with particular praise directed at Wan's atmosphere-driven direction and the performances of Farmiga and Wilson.[4] It grossed over $319.5 million worldwide against a $20 million production budget, making it one of the highest-grossing horror films of all time relative to its cost.[1] Its success led directly to The Conjuring 2 and the wider Conjuring Universe franchise, including spin-offs built around the Warrens' other cases.
Home media
The Conjuring was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United States on 22 October 2013.[5]
Relationship to the Warrens' wider casework
The film established Ed and Lorraine Warren as the recurring central figures of the franchise, a pairing later carried into The Conjuring 2, which dramatises the Warrens' involvement in the Enfield Poltergeist — a case in which, in reality, the lead investigators were Maurice Grosse and Guy Lyon Playfair of the Society for Psychical Research rather than the Warrens themselves.
See also
- The Conjuring 2
- Enfield Poltergeist
- Ed Warren
- Lorraine Warren
- New England Society for Psychic Research
- The Conjuring Universe
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "The Conjuring."Wikipedia.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "The Conjuring."Warner Bros. Entertainment Wiki.
- ↑ "The Conjuring (soundtrack)."Wikipedia.
- ↑ "The Conjuring."Rotten Tomatoes.
- ↑ "The Conjuring Blu-ray (Blu-ray + DVD)."Blu-ray.com.
External links
- Wikipedia — The Conjuring
- Rotten Tomatoes — The Conjuring
- Buy The Conjuring on DVD/Blu-ray (Amazon Associates affiliate link — purchases made through this link help fund The EERIE Files)