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‘The Conjuring’ Movie and 4K Review

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.

When it comes to horror movies, you look for them to be written and directed by fans of the genre, as they bring a sense of passion and enthusiasm which might be missing by someone who is just doing it for the paycheck. James Wan burst onto the horror scene in 2004 with his directorial debut, “Saw,” which was written by his college best friend Leigh Whannel. He could have easily coasted with the “Saw” franchise and continued to keep cranking out sequel after sequel with it. Instead, he decided to get in touch with a different side of the horror genre with 2013’s “The Conjuring.” He also directed such films as “Insidious,” “Dead Silence,” “Death Sentence,” “Furious 7,” and “Malignant.”

Our film opens by introducing us to the Perron family, as they move into a farmhouse in Rhode Island which needs a lot of work. The Perron family consists of Roger and Carolyn (Ron Livingston and Lili Taylor), their five daughters, and their dog Sadie. As they are exploring the ins and outs of the house, they discover a boarded-up cellar, and that is when all hell breaks loose for this family. Their sanity, peace of mind, and sleep start to become disrupted, and it’s clear there is something in this house which is working against them. They need to fix it if they ever hope to stay together as a family. At this point, they decide to call Ed and Lorraine Warren, played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. When you have a malevolent presence, they are the couple to call as they are the expert demonologists.

One of the biggest things “The Conjuring” gets right is the idea that even if they leave the house, this presence will still follow them. I’ve seen so many demonic movies where I ask myself, often out loud, “Why don’t they just leave the house?” It seems like the logical response to this type of activity, but oftentimes horror movies and smart characters don’t go together. Farmiga and Wilson bring humanity, warmth, and intelligence to their characters, as they are playing real people. It would have been easy to portray them as goofy, over-the-top, or silly. While the film has moments of lighthearted humor, it’s done during moments where the story needs levity, such as the introduction of Brad Hamilton and Drew Thomas (John Brotherton and Shannon Kook), a cop and investigator who have worked with the Warrens in the past.

It also helps that the Perron family are likable and grounded in reality and humanity. “The Conjuring” takes its time in allowing the audience to get to know them, spend time with them, and understand their dilemma. They are not just random lambs to be led to slaughter. The film is directed with style, mood, and dread by Wan.  It’s clear he knows how to create a sense of anxiety and uneasiness on screen. He doesn’t rely on jump scares either. Don’t get me wrong, jump scares are effective when done right, but they are like any other gimmick out there: If you rely on them too much, it’s clear you don’t have a solid screenplay. You are creating a haunted house or an amusement park, not a true movie.

“INT PERRON HOUSE – CELLAR Carolyn flips upside down and shoots up to the ceiling John Brotherton (Brad), Vera Farmiga (Lorraine), Patrick Wilson (Ed), Ron Livingston (Roger)”

It blew my mind to discover “The Conjuring” is now 12-years-old. They are set to release the fourth film in the franchise, “The Conjuring: Last Rites,” on September 5th. This is in addition to “The Nun” and “Annabelle” films, which are all part of “The Conjuring” universe. While not all of the films have been great or even good, more often than not, they have been well-made and have proven to be intense thrill rides. You have to give credit to Wan for being able to put his trust in other directors and other writers to showcase their abilities with these films. He has no ego, and he knows the key to remaining fresh is to have new voices in front of and behind the camera. With the original “Conjuring,” the groundwork was created for atmospheric fun, and scary horror movies have been staples of spooky season which is right around the corner. If you are looking to keep your horror movie collection going on 4K, “The Conjuring” on 4K is sure to satisfy the horror community this Halloween season. I hadn’t seen this film in a number of years, and it held up incredibly well on my recent viewing.

* * * ½ out of * * * *

4K Info: “The Conjuring” is released on a single 4K disc from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment. It has a running time of 112 minutes and is rated R for sequences of disturbing violence and terror. The film comes in either a 4K slipcover or a 4K steelbook, both of which come with a digital copy.

4K Video Info: This is an impressive 4K release with the HDR really popping during the dark and brooding moments of the film.  The presentation is crisp and vivid without looking too perfect. With a horror movie like “The Conjuring,” it is not supposed to look flawless. It is supposed to represent the vision of the director and the heart and soul of the movie. In every possible way, “The Conjuring” is a homerun.

4K Audio Info: While I would have certainly enjoyed a Dolby Atmos track for this flick, the audio is still noteworthy during the jump scares and the more intense moments. It’s a good audio track, but it could have been a great audio track. Subtitles are included in English, Spanish, and French.

Special Features:

Scariest of Them All (NEW)

Reflections on the Conjuring (NEW)

The Conjuring: Face-to-Face with Terror

A Life in Demonology

Scaring the “@$*%” Out of You

Should You Buy It?

HELL YES! I’ve been waiting for this film to get the 4K treatment for a long time now. I own “The Conjuring 3” on 4K, and I hope this will also inspire Warner Brothers to release the second film on 4K in the near future. I imagine the upcoming “Conjuring” film will get a 4K release after it’s done with its theatrical run. I absolutely love these films that encompass “The Conjuring” universe. It’s interesting because I’ve never really connected with the spooky horror films which involve an evil presence or things that go bump in the night. Slasher films have always been my preferred cup of tea. This all changed with the first “Conjuring” film, as I discovered when it was done the right way, they can be just as entertaining as the slasher movies I grew up with, if not more entertaining. This is a top-notch 4K release that also includes new special features in addition to an A+ visual experience. A horror film like this is perfect for the 4K format. This is a day-one purchase for horror fans who love to collect 4K’s on physical media.

**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free.  The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.

‘The Nun II’ Movie and 4K Review

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.

In the interest of transparency, I must admit I either saw “The Nun” and it was so bad and I completely erased it from my memory, or I haven’t seen it at all. I’m leaning toward the latter.  However, I’m pleased to report “The Nun II” was a very satisfying cinematic achievement. In fact, I need to go back and watch the original and see how I feel it holds up compared to this sequel.  This is a film I went into with very low expectations, and it really impressed me with its visual style, its acting, and its effective use of mood and dread to tell a compelling story.

“The Nun II” opens with a scene that is sure to catch your attention and hook you right away.  It’s a scene in which a priest is raised in the air and set on fire in a church located in Tarascon, France. This takes place in the late 1950’s.  Our film then takes us to 1960 and the events following the original “Nun” film where we see Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) who is now located in Italy.  From what I gathered through flashbacks, she survived a demon in the original film, so she’s well-versed in demon attacks and how to combat them. We also meet Maurice (Jonas Bloquet), a servant/janitor in France who is supportive and encouraging to a young student named Sophie (Katelyn Rose Downey) and her mother Kate (Anna Popplewell), a schoolteacher.

Sister Irene is called back into action when the Cardinal informs her of a number of deaths taking place all over Europe. He suspects they are at the hands of the demon Valak.  Since Sister Irene survived the demon the last time, he believes she will be able to put a stop to this madness.  She brings along Sister Debra (Storm Reid), as Debra is starting to question her beliefs and wants to see a real miracle. If there is anyone who can get her to believe, it is definitely Sister Irene.

While all of this is happening, the demon Valak keeps showing up and disappearing in visions and also in real life. I’m not a big fan of jump scares in cinema, but this film is very effective in knowing when and how to use them.  They really got to me, which is not something that happens easily.  In a lot of films, they tend to come across as premeditated, and you can see them coming from a mile away. Here, they really build up to and use them when you least expect.  Director Michael Chaves also does a splendid job in creating a film which is moody, creepy and very unnerving.  The film runs at 110 minutes, and they probably could have trimmed maybe 10-15 minutes off the running time to make it even better. Near the end, it feels like there were a few too many scenes thrown in there which weren’t entirely necessary. It’s still a good film, and a big part of that is the performance of Taissa Farmiga. She’s great at being vulnerable, tough and easy to like.

What I enjoyed most about this film is the fact it explained its backstory and history in great detail.  In most horror films, they tend to leave out any backstory or character development. With Maurice, we understand why certain things are happening to him. We learn more about the demon Valak and his motivation for why he’s possessing and killing people.  With Irene, we learn why she’s having visions of the demon. Even with Debra, we know why she has trouble believing in her faith and needs to see a miracle.  The screenplay really knows the devil is in the details here (put intended), and in order to tell this story the right way, we need the protagonists and antagonists to be properly fleshed out.

All in all, people are going to see a movie like “The Nun II” because they want to be scared. As a scary movie, it succeeds because we are invested in the characters and seeing them succeed. There are high stakes here. They really took their time to build up to the jump scares and big moments. Lately, I’ve been finding myself more and more surprised by certain movies, which is always a delightful treat. This could have easily been a cash-in sequel, but they decided to make a worthwhile film that is worth your money and more importantly your time. Spooky season might be over, but you won’t be disappointed by the disturbing and eerie filmmaking on display in “The Nun II.”

* * * out of * * * *

4K Info: “The Nun II” is released on a single-disc 4K from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment. It also comes with a digital copy of the film. The film has a running time of 110 minutes and is rated R for action/violence, some bloody images, language and brief suggestive material.

4K Video/Audio Info: The HDR on this film is really, really potent.  On darker films like this, it has a way of making the film look even scarier. There are tremendous spooky shadows throughout the film.  It is also dark without being too dark.  It’s one of the many things I love about 4K—even though this film looks bleak and otherworldly, it’s still a clean, flawless transfer. They didn’t overdo it by making it so dark and dreary you were unable to see what was happening on screen. We also get a really, really nice Dolby Atmos track, which pops during the jump scares.  There are also subtitles in English, Spanish, and French. This is a top-notch release from Warner Brothers.

Special Features:

Demons in Paradise – featurette (5:35)

Handcrafter Nightmares – featurette (7:28)

Should You Buy It?

If you were a fan of the original “Nun” or even if you haven’t seen it, like myself, this is a great stand-alone release from Warner Brothers. There are moments where they stop and explain things if you haven’t seen the original, which is very helpful. The 4K is pitch-perfect with a really, really good Dolby Atmos soundtrack, and the picture quality definitely gets an A. There are only two special features here, and I would have certainly enjoyed a commentary track from the director.  With all of that being said, if you are interested in buying this for the movie and for the 4K, I would absolutely recommend adding this film to your horror collection. I’ve always been a big fan of “The Conjuring” universe and their dedication to putting out quality horror films.  While they don’t always succeed, they have way more hits than misses.  This film has somewhat of an ambiguous ending, and I wouldn’t mind if they did a third film, as long as it’s done with the quality and care they devoted to this one.  It’s truly remarkable what they have been able to do with all “The Conjuring” cinematic universe.  They have a lot of interesting stories to pluck from, and they bring in creative and fresh writers and directors to bring unique perspectives to the series.

**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free.  The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.