The Conjuring - One of the best 'average' films I've seen

If I described a film as 'run-of-the-mill' you'd probably think I was going to absolutely slate it.  I can quite honestly say that 'The Conjuring' is one of the most 'by-the-numbers' films I've ever watching.  I've sat through quite a number of horror films since the eighties and there is definitely a pattern in films that involve 'hauntings' where a family moves into a big, creepy house, spooky things start to happen and then paranormal investigators are brought in to help out ('Poltergeist' is a prime example).

'The Conjuring' ticks all those boxes and, despite being released roughly thirty years after 'Poltergeist' the story is pretty much beat for beat.  So you could say what's the point in watching 'The Conjuring' when it offers so little that you haven't already seen for decades.  However, for some reason, I just found it totally worth a watch.

I can appreciate that there's nothing groundbreaking contained there, but it was done very well.  There are children in the family and youngsters can always be a bit 'hit and miss' when it comes to acting.  Yet, these all played their parts well.  Plus you have Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are the most well-known actors and they play the paranormal investigators, but they do it with more of a sense of realism than 'Poltergeist' and don't come across as almost cartoon characters.

However, possibly the film's biggest asset is its direction.  Most horror fans are getting a little tired with the tried and cliched technique of 'jump scares' where something leaps out at the camera along with a scary noise.  Here, these are used to a minimum.  Many a time I thought one was going to happen, when in fact something much more subtle and creepy took place instead.

It's lack of originality may never make it a classic, but, if you're looking for a horror film that relies on creepiness rather than gore and jump scares, it may be worth checking this one out. 

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that