I’m a sucker for the tales of Ed and Lorraine Warren and their real-life fights against demonic possession and paranormal tomfoolery. Especially when portrayed by the fantastically talented Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. But even those two can’t save this ho-hum, meandering installment in the otherwise powerful Conjuring franchise.
Depicting the posession of two brothers over time, this movie does start out strong with some decent scares and spooky feels. However, about forty-five minutes in, my eyes were glazing over as I tried to care about what was happening–knowing it was the basis for the first courtroom defense for murder due to demonic possession in U.S. history. The storyline just wasn’t compelling enough, or maybe the stakes weren’t high enough. Either way, I was no longer spooked, and watched the movie while only half paying attention. That’s a disappointment for me, as I consider the first/original in this franchise to be a heart-thumping, sweat-inducing scare-fest that ranks up there with the best.
Save your time (and screams), friends, for a different horror movie tonight.
- Top Scare: Morgue
- Heartbeats: 2 3/4 out of 5
- Gore Factor: 3 out of 5
- Scare Factor: 2 1/2 out of 5
- Recommended for: 16 and up