They're calling it 'England's Amityville'.
The Gist: Demon-detectors/partners in exorcism Ed and Lorraine Warren are back (played once again by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga), this time to investigate an apparent haunting in London's borough of Enfield. Janet, the younger daughter of the Hodgson family, has been foolish enough to go messing around with a ouiji board, whereupon bizarre happenings commence to terrify her and the rest of her family. When local TV takes an interest, the Catholic church is alerted and the Warrens fly in from the States on their behalf to see if something truly devilish is going on. They bring with them their usual healthy skepticism, but something truly scary is afoot (afloat?) and this time around it may be Ed Warren himself who has most to fear from the malevolent entity at work.
The Juice: Horror maestro James Wan is back at the helm of this 2016 sequel to his original hit (click here for review), and uses his sure hand to wring new scares and suspense from the box of hackneyed possession-movie tricks. The change of location from 2013's rural American farmhouse works well, although the 'Gor Blimey' scene-setting dialogue is laid on a bit thick and it's genuinely odd how a humble semi-detached Enfield property has cavernous interiors, like it's some kind of Tardis. Still, the latter gives Wan's camera lots of space for tracking and panning through darkness, turning this ordinary dwelling into a enjoyably Gothic spook-house. There's the same slow-burn as last time, with a spinning zoetrope toy, a macabre use of nursery rhyme and a spectral nun (yes, that'd be the nun who later shows up in The Nun) to crank up the fear levels. The Hodgsons are a convincing and warm-hearted family unit with Madison Wolfe a stand-out as the vulnerable (and possessed) Janet. But the heart of the movie is once again Wilson and Farmiga as the thoroughly grounded and compassionate ghost-busting power-couple heroes. Oh, and talented Brit character actor Simon McBurney is great as documentarian Maurice Grosse. Worth a mention.
(That's not him. That's Madison Wolfe being scary.)
The Judgement: 7/10. While more outlandishly daft than first time around, this is still a superior fright-fest due to Wan's deft direction, the authenticity of the performances and a reliance throughout on practical effects over CGI. (When it does resort to computerised images, they're genuinely creepy too.) It's stylish, nicely paced and packs a couple of simple but bravura sequences involving the Warrens' supernatural experiences. Ideal shuddery, jumpy Halloween viewing.
Personal Fear Factor: The Conjuring movies don't so much scare as entertain me. Having said that, this one did deliver one or two delicious chills along the way.
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