So 50% so far. Weird.

Anyway over Christmas the better half stayed at home and watched a few films.

He praised The Conjuring (2013) so I thought I'd watch it too.

There are some nice period details (which reminded me a bit of last years Doctor Who episode Hide). I don't know if it's just my childhood but I find there is something uniquely creepy about the early 1970's.

Half the cast act with conviction the other half act like it's a spoof. The film riffs all the Amityville films (including the made for video ones about artifacts from the house), The Haunting (1963) and Poltergeist (1982) quite shamelessly. I really like Vera Famiga, she is wasted in Bates Motel (fun show but too good for her) and she is even more wasted here. Ron Livingston should only dress in seventies fashions, he looks amazing in this film, normally he looks rather bland.

The film is a bit uninspired though. It belongs in the same genre of 'percussive' horror as the Paranormal Activity films. By that I mean It goes through the motions in such a dull, predictable way. Film makers who mention the Salem Witch trials and imply the guilt of any of the women should be eternally damned to a dimension where they are forced to watch Three Sovereigns for Sarah (1985) on a loop forever. I feel like I'm forced to share space with a Holocaust denier every time now.

In conclusion