The Conjuring  is the first movie in what has grown into the horror equivalent of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was released in July of 2013 and still holds the record for the biggest box office opening weekend for a non-sequel horror movie, which was $41.9 million. It went on to gross $319.5 million worldwide on a budget of $20 million. It is one of the many stories stemming from the tales of the paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. They were both real people (Lorraine is actually still alive, age 92) who documented their travels helping individuals and families dealing with paranormal activity. This movie is about one of the stories that scared the married investigators so much, they avoided telling the story for years and years after the events. 

In the movie, the Warrens are doing lectures at different universities when they are approached by a woman named Carolyn Perron. She was a mother of five daughters, all living with her and her husband in an old out on Rhode Island who have been experiencing disturbances nightly with no idea what to do. Ed and Lorraine agree to help, and of course, horror ensues.

My Experience with The Conjuring

As a test of courage and a product of boredom back in 2013, I took it upon myself to go watch this movie at the theatre, alone. I went downtown and bought a ticket, and got a single seat in a packed theatre. It really was all fun and games until the lights dimmed and the movie began. I immediately felt the difference of not having a friend with me to go along with the experience and started thinking that it may have been a mistake. But I vividly remember telling myself the famous words: “What’s the worst that could really happen?”

By the time the title shot came onto the screen (maybe about five minutes later), I was slouched down in my seat with my shirt halfway up my face. The Conjuring is still to this day in my Top 5 Scariest movies of all time. I screamed instinctively somewhere from 4-8 times. I mean instinctively, as in I screamed before I even realized I was screaming. It was absolutely thrilling, and totally horrifying. I believe I left the theatre after the film at about 11 p.m. and I thought to myself: “How am I going to be able to sleep now after this? There’s no way I can just go home and go to bed with these images in my head.” The answer was, since I had just turned 19 that year, was to go to the bar closest to my house, and drink beer until the bar closed at 2:30 a.m. and THEN go to sleep. It worked like a charm. I believe I ended up going with some friends again to the theatre to watch it maybe a week later.

Given the excellent use of camera within confined and unconfined spaces, believable and empathetic characters, and the noticeable lack of computer generated graphics, this movie is an absolute stand-out in the genre. It has spawned multiple sequels and spin-offs, with the latest being The Nun (September, 2018) and a new chapter (The Conjuring 3) expected to come out in September of 2020.