A horror movie is just like any other kind of movie—if you get a good story, decent writing, quality actors and high production values, it’ll work. A great horror movie will have an additional element—an authentically chilling atmosphere, but that’s hard to come by. So we can at least hope for a horror movie that works well as a movie, and that’s what we get with “The Conjuring,” a movie about a pair of professional ghost-hunters who try to aid a hapless family dealing with the malevolent forces in their home. Supposedly based on a true story that occurred in the 1960s, the most interesting part of the movie is at the end where we get to see photographs of the characters as they were in real life. This film checks off all the checkboxes mentioned of what makes a good movie work, resulting in a very entertaining and slightly creepy film with highly engaging protagonists. Demonic possession, haunted house, it’s all been done before, but this movie gives the subjects a fresh and solid take without getting offensive or stupid (as most horror movies do).

2021 Update: To this date, there have been two sequels. I’m pretty sure I saw the first sequel, but the fact that I remember practically nothing about the sequel and that I’m totally not interested in seeing any more of these and the spinoffs is probably a testament to how forgettable all the sequels and spin-offs have been.

Not For Kids