Director James Wan returns to the horror genre to create The Conjuring 2, his second feature claiming to be based on the ‘real life case files’ of Ed and Lorraine Warren, the American demonologists who made their reputation (for better or worse) on the Amityville case. The Conjuring 2 is set in England, 1977, at the Hodgson family home in Brimsdown, Enfield, where increasingly violent poltergeist phenomena plague Peggy Hodgson and her four children, Margaret, aged 13, Janet, aged 11, Johnny, aged 10 and Billy, aged 7. The film follows the Warrens, hot from the Amityville case in America, rushing to Enfield to help save the Hodgson family from the malevolent assaults of a demon, which the feature implies to be behind the phenomena at both cases.
As a horror movie made for entertainment, it does not, for the most part, attempt to provide an accurate reflection of the occurrences at Enfield. This should not be a surprising revelation. In This House is Haunted (1980), Guy Lyon Playfair’s careful documentation of the two-year investigation conducted on behalf of the Society for Psychical Research by himself and Maurice Grosse, Playfair makes no mention of the Warrens’ involvement at all. In contrast, the feature shows the Warrens as playing a pivotal role, with the SPR’s involvement presented as secondary.
At least the SPR does get a mention, with members Maurice Grosse and Anita Gregory being cast, though no Guy Lyon Playfair, which was rather difficult to accept. Gregory is cast in the role of the sceptical parapsychologist, somewhat zealously in one scene, attributing the occurrence of the phenomena to the behaviour of naughty children and accusing the mother of orchestrating the occurrences. Though this healthy scepticism, reflective of the real Anita Gregory’s view of the case, could play a somewhat larger role in the feature. In one scene, this scepticism leads her to a confrontational encounter with Mrs Hodgson, quite unlike how Dr Gregory or any self-respecting parapsychologist would act in that situation. Grosse, utterly convinced by the variety and frequency of the phenomena, is sadly depicted as an amateur and well-meaning nuisance in comparison to the Warrens. In this version of reality, Grosse is grateful to have them come and take the lead in the case and provides whatever assistance he can.
The more subtle phenomena in the film reflect the Enfield case in many ways, such as Lego bricks flying around the house, materialisations of objects, Janet being thrown out of her bed and the covers being pulled off in her sleep. The communications with Bill Wilkins through Janet also closely reflect the dialogue as it was actually recorded. Much of the phenomena, however, are greatly exaggerated or entirely invented for effect, with many scenes deviating significantly from the written accounts of the case.
Focusing on these inaccuracies led to a somewhat jaded viewing experience initially, so in an effort to remain objective I tried to forget that the feature was about Enfield as I knew it. Taken purely as a horror film, The Conjuring 2 is a solid effort, with excellent production values in a classic retro-horror style. As usual, Wan invests a lot of time in developing a tenderness towards his characters, the love they show for one another and the torment they go through. This helps the audience emotionally invest in the characters, making the protracted spooky sequences (of which there are many, possibly too many) much more harrowing for the audience. At just over two hours long, the feature makes use of jump scares relentlessly; structurally and stylistically it is very similar to the first Conjuring opening with a taster case (Annabelle in C1, Amityville in C2) with a slow burn of minor phenomena occurring in parallel in the main case. This leads through to the phenomena increasing in intensity, the involvement of the Warrens, culminating in a bonfire night’s display of a finale, as large a display as one could have witnessed in 1605 if the gunpowder plot had been a success. A full-on CGI and pyrotechnics visual-feast is thrown at the audience as the Warrens battle to save the soul of Janet, crucifixes aloft and incantations recited. This conclusion to the movie is probably its weakest element, while visually impressive, the film is much more effective in conjuring up the scares during the quieter scenes; the finale felt both over the top and anti-climactic at the same time.
Overall as entertainment, the movie is a satisfying experience, fans of classic horror will particularly enjoy Wan’s polished vision. The feature utilises all the old tricks in the horror movie canon, however, combined with Wan’s flair for jump frights and ability to invest the audience emotionally in the characters, the movie stands above similar efforts. Though for those who know the Enfield case well, to really enjoy this movie I would advise leaving your familiarity with the case at the door. For those hoping to gain a greater insight into what really occurred at Enfield by watching the movie, a copy of This House is Haunted will tell you a great deal more than The Conjuring 2 ever could.
David Saunders
University of Northampton
An interview with Director James Wan and actor Patrick Wilson (Ed Warren) will be in the next issue of the Paranormal Review (sent to all members).
