Now available on 4K UHD is the 2013 feature film that kicked off an entire horror franchise, James Wan’s The Conjuring. There have been two sequels, with a third arriving next week, plus spin-off series like The Nun and Annabelle. Written by Chad Hayes and Carey W. Hayes, the original film has gone on to become a modern horror classic, and deservingly so. While the spin-offs have been a mixed bag, the main franchise, which seems to be wrapping up with the latest installment, has been consistently strong.
The following was taken from my original theatrical review of the film.
I think James Wan is one of the best horror film directors working in the United States today. He was not only behind the original “Saw” but also Insidious and the hugely underrated Dead Silence. He knows how to make a creepy and effective horror film and he usually gets a solid cast to help pull everything together. His latest effort The Conjuring is probably his best film to date.
“The Conjuring” takes place in the 1970s and is based on two real life families. First we have Lorraine and Ed Warren (Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson respectively), renowned paranormal investigators who were approached by Carolyn Perron (Lili Taylor) after she realized that there was something residing in her new home, terrorizing her family. Ed did not want his clairvoyant wife to get involved because of some horrific event that traumatized her in the past. Regardless, the Warrens headed over to the Perron home to investigate and realized that a demonic force did in fact attach itself to the family.
“The Conjuring” is truly a scary film, whether you believe these events actually happened in real life or not. It is also filled with some incredible shots, reminiscent of some early Hollywood horror films like “The Shining” or “The Exorcist”. One of my favorite shots involves the Warrens daughter walking through the hallway of their home, she is wearing a flower pattern dress and how it contrasts against the pattern wallpaper and the lighting is fantastic. There are many shots like that throughout the film. Wan knows how to hold the audience in suspense and there isn’t a single weak link in the cast. Ron Livingston is also good as Carolyn’s husband Roger.
Another element that works well here is the balance between the two families involved. We are taken back and forth between the Warren and Perron homes, but not too much where it becomes a distraction. Writers Chad and Carey Hayes did a great job on the screenplay, not a comment I often make on horror film.
While there is no Dolby Vision, the new upscaled 2160p presentation with HDR10 is a noticeable upgrade from the original Blu-ray release. While the 1080p Blu-ray already delivered a strong visual presentation, the new 4K release gives us more detail and richer colors. The deeper blacks are also a welcome addition since the settings and feel of the story rely greatly on the darkness. The Perron house has never looked creepier. While we do not get a new Dolby Atmos track either, quite frankly, it really isn’t needed. The original DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio Track still delivers and when you pump up the volume, the scares come full impact. It could have felt like a missed opportunity, but no improvements felt necessary. The new 4K release also comes with a couple of new bonus features, including Scariest of Them All and Reflections on The Conjuring. If you are a fan of The Conjuring, the new 4K UHD is worth picking up.
Bonus Features:
- (NEW) Scariest of Them All – Cast and crew members return for a lightweight retrospective piece (mostly) about this first film in the *sigh* ever-expanding Conjuring universe, including actors Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Lili Taylor, and Mackenzie Foy (“Cindy”), as well as director James Wan and a few familiar faces from the second film. This is nothing major — favorite moments and memories, mostly — but it also includes behind-the-scenes footage from the set, which makes it worth a look for fans of the franchise.
- (NEW) Reflections on The Conjuring – A like-minded retrospective featuring more behind-the-scenes footage and many of the same participants from the first film as well as producer Peter Safran, who collectively go into a bit more depth about The Conjuring’s development and influence on its many sequels.
- The Conjuring: Face-to-Face with Fear
- A Life in Demonology
- Scaring the “@$*%” Out of You
By: Marc Ferman
