31 Days of
Drafts and Darkness: VOL 2!
"The Conjuring" (2013)
Last
year, we talked about James Wan's "Insidious", a horror film with
well-earned scares and atmosphere. While "Insidious" had some jump
scares, most of the terror stemmed from buildup and a feeling of dread. Each
shot carried an ominous tone, like something bad was constantly about to happen.
As a viewer, you never felt safe.
Tonight's
feature is also a product James Wan's spooky direction. It's a throw-back to
the haunted-house films of yesterday, equal parts homage and successor. This
film contains almost zero bloodshed and not a single instance of sex/nudity or
profanity. And yet, it's still R-rated.
"The
Conjuring" earned its mature rating through plot themes and scare-factor
alone. That's one hell of an impressive pedigree, folks. While
"Insidious" ventured more into fantasy as the plot progressed,
"The Conjuring" centers squarely on the haunting. No frills, no
unexpected twists. Only a genuinely terrifying and malicious spirit out to torture
an innocent family. You've seen it before, yes, but it hardly matters. "The
Conjuring" is a very high-quality, frightening flick.
The Plot:
Our story revolves around Edward and Lorraine Warren,
paranormal investigators. Lorraine is a medium, able to sense spirits. Ed,
though not a priest, is trained in exorcism. The husband and wife duo are
hardened ghost hunters, having an entire collection of haunted artifacts from
cases over the years.
We meet them on the job, interviewing a terrified group of
students over a strange doll. Though no one has seen it move, the
doll's location changes from place to place. Said doll, Annabelle, is a
porcelain-molded nightmare of a thing to look at. You'd guess it was evil even
without a demonic entity attached to it. These first few minutes are just the
film's intro, and already it's running on full scary-cylinders!
Elsewhere, in rural Rhode Island, the Perron family has just
moved into an old country farmhouse. Naturally, the house was a steal for
what they paid for it. It's not long before strange noises echo the hallways.
Footsteps ring out from upstairs when no one is up there. As can be expected,
these episodes increase in severity, soon becoming violent. I won't go into any
specifics, but let's just say the house has a long history of very nasty
circumstances. And the Perron family just so happens to be next in line.
Once the Warrens are called in to investigate, Lorraine
immediately realizes that this is one of the most malevolent forces they've dealt
with yet. She's shaken just by being in the presence of an entity we can't even
see. What follows is a battle between the living and the bitterly vengeful
dead.
The Flavor:
Pure old-school horror, "The Conjuring" mounts
anxiety with every sharp corner and dark staircase. Pulse-pounding scenes drag
on an agonizingly long time before something spooky happens. By that point,
you're so damn wound up that even the stereotypical black cat would scare you. But
what takes "The Conjuring" further is that its shocks are never so cheap. When something does
leap onto the screen, it's no fake-out. The nightmare itself has just shown up.
Classic camerawork and lighting make the film's creepy locations appear alive. So much of the terror comes from pure atmosphere. The more time spent
in the house, the worse things get, so your tension level only grows as the
film progresses. You also begin to seriously care about the characters, upping
the intensity even more.
To describe the entire plot would give too much away.
Discovering what truly happened in this haunted house is one of the film's most
frightening moments. Far be it from me to cheapen the shock. The reveal is very
gradual, with puzzle pieces appearing scattered until the final
scenes.
Best Paired with:
Horror fans and casual movie-goers alike need to see this
film. "The Conjuring" never resorts to gore or cheap tricks to scare
you. It attacks via a slow buildup, disturbing tone, and horrifying reveals.
I'm not sure how, but the film even managed to make clapping scary. You'll know
the scene when you see it.
Accompanying Brew:
Tonight, we need something complex and moody. Shrouded in mist. Or smoke. Hmm...
Name: Smoked Marzen
Brewery: Jack's Abbey
Location: Framingham, Mass
Style: Rauchbier/Octoberfest
Jack's Abbey Smoked Marzen tastes like Fall bonfire smells: smokey, but with the sweet scent of Fall leaves. This brew is practically an embodiment of the season.
Color: Rich amber color. The shade of Fall.
Aroma: For a split second, you get some malty sweetness,
then the smoked flavor dominates! Smells like smoked meat. That may sound odd, but remember that Rauchbiers (smoked beers) have their malts smoked over beechwood, so smoky is what we're shooting for.
Taste: While first taking a sip, it feels and tastes like you're
drinking a typical Octoberfest. You're aware of the slightly-sweet malt
character. Once the beer hits the middle of your tongue and sits for a second, a smoky flavor washes over. The smoke flavor is
strong, but I wouldn't say overpoweringly so. Smoke beers from Germany tend to be
mega-smoky. This one's more balanced between malty and smoky. Over time,
instead of getting cloying, the flavor becomes more subtle as
your tongue adapts. This lets you taste more malt. For those who've never tried this style before, this would be a good entry point.
Aftertaste: Towards the end of the first few sips, the smoke
flavor is pronounced and dominates the aftertaste. However, the more you drink
and get used to the brew, the more the smoke flavor recedes. This allows you to
taste the mild, spicy hoppiness in the background and pick up more of the
sweetness from the amber malts. There's also a slight tang when the smoke and malt meld together, almost reminding you of a BBQ sauce.
Body: Medium/light. More Octoberfesty, doesn't weigh down
the tongue.
Pair: Pulled pork, smoked meats, or use this brew as an ingredient in your own BBQ sauce!
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