The Conjuring
Short description
The Conjuring follows a Rhode Island family who move into an isolated farmhouse, only to find themselves sharing it with a malevolent presence that turns their daily life into a ordeal. When the situation grows desperate, Carolyn and Roger Perron turn to Ed and Lorraine Warren, a married pair of paranormal investigators known for their work with hauntings. The Warrens arrive confident in their methods, but the force they encounter proves unlike anything they have handled, pushing even these experienced researchers to their limits.
James Wan directed the film from a screenplay by Carey Hayes and Chad Hayes, with Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson playing Lorraine and Ed Warren, and Lili Taylor and Ron Livingston as the Perrons. It is the sixth feature Wan directed, arriving between Insidious and Insidious: Chapter 2, and it launched a series of films centered on the Warrens, with Wan returning for The Conjuring 2. The modest production budget was matched by a worldwide gross of around 321 million dollars, a strong return for the genre.
Reception placed the film well within popular horror. On IMDb it holds 7.5 out of 10 from more than 618,000 votes, while on TMDB it also sits at 7.5 from a smaller pool of voters. A critics' rating of 7.2 from 227 reviews puts professional assessments close to audience opinion, indicating broad agreement rather than a sharp divide.
What's left behind the scenes
- Lorraine Warren and Andrea Perron acted as consultants for the film. Both claim that the film accurately reflects the real story of what happened to the Perron family over the 10 years they lived on the farm.
- Ed Warren and Lorraine Warren investigated the Perron family's house from 1973 to 1974.
- A film based on the story of the Perron family's house was planned for 20 years. The story first surfaced when Ed Warren showed a recording of his interview with Carolyn Perron to producer Tony DeRosa-Grund.
- Director James Wan attempted to convey the atmosphere of 1970s horror films.
- The real Annabelle doll was made of cloth, not broken porcelain, as depicted in the film.
- This is the second time composer Joseph Bishara has played the main ghost in a James Wan film. The previous film was "Insidious" (2010).
- Lorraine Warren played a cameo role as an elderly woman in the front row of the class when Carolyn is listening to the Warrens’ presentation.
- The state of Rhode Island does not require home sellers to disclose documented cases of paranormal activity to potential buyers. This is why the Perron family was unaware of all the events that had occurred there.
- Eight generations lived and died in the house before the Perrons moved in. Andrea Perron suggests that some of the spirits of these families never left the house. The house saw two suicides, one death by poisoning, a rape and the murder of an 11-year-old girl, two drownings, and an instance of four men freezing to death. Most of the deaths occurred within the Arnold family. Virsavia Sherman was from that family.
- The real Virsavia Sherman was suspected of witchcraft and the murder of a child, but she was found not guilty by the court. She died of natural causes in 1885, not by hanging as depicted in the film.
- When Judy descends the stairs, a smoke detector can be seen above her. While such detectors were available in 1968, they were then shaped like beehives, not discs like modern ones.
- The white GMC truck towing a family minivan did not appear until 1973, while the family moved into the house in 1971.
- A cypress tree is visible in the swamp scene. However, they grow much further south than Rhode Island.
- When Ed and Lorraine are listening to the recorded interview, the level meter on the player does not move as it should when playing an audio track.
- The camera used by the Warrens is a Bolex H16 Rex-5, produced from 1966 to 1976. A distinctive feature of this mechanical camera is the need to wind the spring mechanism after every 40 seconds of shooting, while the camera holds only 30 meters (2.5 minutes) of film. In all scenes involving the camera, they film for more than a minute without winding the spring, freely releasing the winding handle, which could cause the camera to break.
- At the 4-minute mark of the film, as Debbie approaches the front door, it can be noticed that the door doesn't have a peephole. However, after a cut, when Debbie looks out into the hallway, a peephole is visible on the outside of the door.
- Andrea Perron wrote a three-part novel based on events that took place in her home. The book was published under the title "House of Darkness, House of Light".
- To prepare for the role of Lily, Taylor watched the film "The Exorcist" (1973).
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
