“The Conjuring”
4 1/2
out of 5 stars
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, thriller

Ed and Lorraine Warren are paranormal investigators. Both have countless years of experience in different fields from demonology to knowing what is going on by stepping foot into a house. The film opens with a quick story of them teaching a college class. Then with a beautiful fade in, they meet the Perron family, who have been dealing with paranormal events.
The film is directed by James Wan, who did such films as “Saw” and “Insidious.” Wan needs to continue his role as a horror director because he is always keeping audiences on the edge of their seats. In the case of “The Conjuring,” some people even left the theater. He takes his time, making sure it is all in place.
So being investigators, the Warren family has a collection of paranormal items, including this terrifying doll demons use to possess and scare the living daylight out of you.
The Perron family is the legitimate core of a horror film: A hard working, loving family buys a house that it is evil. Also, the Warrens are what we want in investigators: They take every detail into consideration besides just the demonic side.
Unlike most horror films, there is about only one scene with blood, and it still received the R rating. Why? It is straight-up scary, not a single use of explicit language, no nudity, just scary. It’s great to see a film can still take in the R rating for just being scary.
Wan takes it to a new level by nailing the 1970s atmospheric vibe that sends shivers down your spine. From the cars, to the clothes, I personally love that it took place in the oldies, when it actually happened.
Also, who could forget the amazing (but huge) cast: Vera Farmiga (Lorraine Warren), Patrick Wilson (Ed Wilson), Lili Taylor (Carolyn Perron) and Ron Livingston (Roger Perron). Playing the main adults in the film, I have never seen a better group of acting.
A good group of child actors? This is a rare gem. Shanley Caswell, Haylea McFarland, Joey King, MacKenzie Foy, Kyla Deaver play the five daughters of the Perron family. When they are supposed to be scared, they are. They cried like they meant it and screamed like their life depended upon it.
“The Conjuring” is horror at its best. This is easily the best horror film in more than two decades. Even though “Insidious” and “Sinister” were good, «The Conjuring” takes horror to a new level. For nearly 65 percent of the movie, I had goose bumps, and truthfully, I had nightmares. My heart even may have skipped a beat.
I applaud everything about “The Conjuring” except the somewhat dull ending. Do not even think about taking a child to this film unless they are super brave, or you want to stay up for a week straight helping them get over night frights.
This is a must-see movie, do not skip it, don’t see any other movie right now, go have an adrenalin rush that makes every hair on your body stand up.