The Conjuring 2, the second film in the super-successful horror franchise directed by James Wan, is drawing big crowds worldwide. Released on June 10, the film that focuses on the ‘Enfield Case’ — where 11-year-old Janet Hodgson and her family experience poltergeist activity in their London home — has already notched up
Rs 47 crore in India, more than three times the business done by Amitabh Bachchan’s TE3N that released on the same Friday. The Conjuring, which released in 2013, is counted as one of the biggest horror film hits ever, grossing $380million worldwide on a $20million budget. What makes these films tick? t2 checks the boxes.
SPOILER ALERT!
♦ As real as it gets: Taken from the case files of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, the Conjuring films score for their authenticity and real feel, with most in the audience staying back to watch even the end credits that show moods and moments from the real-life cases. That such hair-raising situations actually happened to people like us makes these films seem that much more scary. “I think what works is the horror of it all… that stuff like this happened to real people. It makes the fear even more real and believable,” Vikram Bhatt, the man behind the Bolly horror franchise Raaz, told t2.
♦ Horror, horror: The scare tropes may be stuff we have all seen before, but the treatment — the jump-starts are a little scarier, the background music a little more spooky — makes these films stand out. “Horror buffs may have seen it all before, but the Conjuring films know what spooks the viewer and they amplify the fear by doing it differently… even if it’s just a door creaking open,” said horror fan Satyajit Roy, who has watched the second film twice already. And even if you are a repeat watcher, the Conjuring films have the uncanny ability to scare you again… and again… and again.
♦ Bolly no-show: Yes, there are the Raaz films, but they are more funny than scary. In Conjuring, horror fans now have a franchise that not only spooks, but also packs in a story.
♦ Wan’s the man: The Malaysian filmmaker is a brand now, riding on the success of not only his Conjuring films, but also the Saw and Insidious franchises. James Wan has notched up quite a fan following with the audience realising that when it comes to spooking you consistently in ways new and old, Wan’s the man!
Priyanka Roy
TEAM t2
I’M STAYING AWAY FROM THE TV REMOTE!
There were only four seats left from the Internet booking quota for the 11pm show. Two seats were between people and the other two were in a corner. We picked the seats that were between people because somehow it just felt safer… after all, the movie was The Conjuring 2!
Every scare flick you see robs you of one activity in your life for a short time, and longer if the impression is lasting. After The Grudge, I could not go to the backstairs of any building. After Paranormal Activity, I couldn’t sleep on the edge of the bed and forced my sister and mother to sleep on either side, for three days.
After The Exorcism of Emily Rose, I couldn’t walk under trees. After Se7en, I took the stairs instead of the elevator. And after Horror Story (yes, that non-scary movie by Vikram Bhatt), I dropped all plans with my friends. Finally, after Final Destination, which was showing on TV recently, I imagined having premonitions!
And then came The Conjuring 2 after which my cross has found its way back into my bag. And I’m staying far away from the TV remote!
Karo Christine Kumar
I WATCHED THROUGH THE SLITS OF MY FINGERS
I am the type of horror film watcher who needs courageous friends as company, the kind who would survive after I have often dug my nails into their arms. I watched The Conjuring with my boyfriend’s mother and that, of course, didn’t turn out to be a very wise decision.
For the sequel, I took along a brave friend who barely has any reaction while watching horror films *rolling eyes*. Excited but scared, I opted for a late-night show. “It’s just a movie”, I told myself as I took my seat in the theatre and all seemed fine until sisters Margaret and Janet decided to call the spirits! If “Wanna play hide and seek?” from The Conjuring petrified me, this time “This is my house” and “It says it will hurt you” continued giving me goosebumps even two days after watching the film.
The scariest bit of The Conjuring 2 is certainly its spine-chilling background score and scary CGI effects. And yes, I watched most of the film through the slits of my fingers!
Pramita Ghosh
TAKES SPOOK TO THE NEXT LEVEL
If The Conjuring had spooked me because of the spooky ‘three claps’, then the sequel scared me because of the twist of two different ghosts. I literally spent my entire time in the theatre spinning theories as to what would be the purpose of the second ghost and how would it be linked to the first! Lorraine’s (Vera Farmiga) premonition about husband Ed’s (Patrick Wilson) was also impactful and I was rooting for him to stay alive the whole time. If the first part was spooky, the second one took it to the next level by combining spook with visibly scary scenes. I am still not over the scary face of both Bill (in picture) and the other ghost!
Zeba Akhtar
I WILL KEEP AWAY FROM TOYS
Whether it was the noisy fire truck or the crooked man toy, or even the mirror wind-up toy in the first Conjuring movie — I will keep away from my nephew’s toys. I feel The Conjuring 2 wasn’t as scary as the first film — even now, because of the first film, I feel scared to look at the top of my cupboard. The Conjuring 2 had a couple of scenes which did make me scream out loud — old man Bill’s face in the water and the demon inside the tent — but the film also had its share of comic relief moments, making the movie-watching experience not so intense. And yes, the demon reminded me of Marilyn Manson in a nun’s costume!
Deborima Ganguly
