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Cinema Horrors and The Conjuring

IT'S only fair that my review of the horror flick, The Conjuring starts right from the cinema I was at. I don't know if it's an accepted norm or just bad-upbringing that leads to poor level of civic-consciousness at the cinemas here (in Qatar). For most part of this much awaited movie (I love horror), I was too distracted by the inhumane spirits around me rather than the demons in the show. 

Why? Just when the movie began, a man on the front  row kept his radio/ mobile phone/ whatever gadget switched on and publicly aired the complete Azan (Muslim call for prayer) for the time. So I was trying hard to catch what the freaky doll, Annabelle was all about in between the Azan and feeling completely appalled by the grace with which everyone around him accepted it like it was home and prime time news. 

What's with talking, having full conversations in the cinema! The two women, just two seats away from us, did nothing but talk through the entire movie. Talking to each other and others on the phone. While at it, they also constantly grabbed food from a bag, munching and eating quite audibly too. I mean, silence is golden when watching a horror movie, right? Especially a horror movie. It wasn't just them. Some others were talking too, not whispering but talking at an annoying decibel. Then walked in a group of girlfriends 20 mins after the show had started and the first thing one of them did was to snap a shot of the screen. Flash photography, yes! Another woman, a big woman in that all-covering abaya (cloak for women), paced along a row during the show while on the phone like it was a walk in the park. I don't know how bad the obstruction was for those behind her but no one complained. 

Sorry. That sounded like a rant more than anything but you see my frustrations. 

Vera Farmiga plays Lorraine Warren in The Conjuring

The Conjuring. I liked it. 
4/5 stars. 

When you can actually Google the real people and places involved in the events and the search turns up those old, black-and-white photos, that's when it gets reaaaally real. Creepy because the movie is based on a true story. Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (think The Amityville Horror) help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse. Clean storyline with a badass, malevolent demon. Predictable but with the spooks. A ghost story with a sort of happy ending (not a spoiler, you're bound to establish this from the start of the movie). 

I loved the entire dark, 70s feel about the farmhouse and the creepy under-the-bed, above-the-cupboard, at-the-door and in-the-basement scenes with suspenseful silence, minimal digital effects and no gory details. I suppose real ghosts don't just burst out of the floor like a volcanic eruption with an equally dramatic background composition (think Mama). This show may even end up as a classic several years down the road. 

Depending on your beliefs, shows like this answer and raise many questions about the paranormal. I believe that good and evil co-exist so it answered some questions while also bringing me to the question of how much evil can there really be. So much force, hatred, bitterness and just pure evil energy to the point of deliberately needing to hurt people. That's a lot more terrifying than a door swinging open independently or footsteps heard from the empty unit upstairs. 

Maybe you shouldn't think much. Just go watch it with a date. 



Comments

  1. Sometimes it is just good to turn ones brain off

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yeah, Pat.
      but i have too much free time these days :p

      Delete
  2. Paranormal stuff is too scary for me, but I'm glad you liked the movie. How awful that people were so rude. Why go to a movie if you want to chat? Go to a coffee shop.

    Love,
    Janie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. exactly, Janie.
      there should be a study on these ppl.

      Delete
  3. That's a shame to hear, I wouldn't last more than 10 minute in the cinema (I'm curious which cinema is this), I will either screamed at these people or have the management level of people to deal this. This is serious offence to people paid ticket to watch a movie, especially the one with his mobile phone airing AZAN , that's insane and what is his motive I suspect. Last but the outrages option is you also act crazy, go to the front of screen standing and talking loud of phone, see what they feel, and if they reply you, you answered them your intention pointing out these people you mentioned.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Vincent. It's in Doha, the middle east. Being the Chinese Asian that you are, screaming at these people (locals) may land you in a lot of trouble in this country. It's unfair, and the same may apply to me. They just have strange social ethics and way of looking at people other than their own kind.

      Delete
  4. A suspenseful silence can be unbearable in a horror film, especially with a camera angle that suggests someone is being spied on from a secret location. It sounds like good fun, but nothing to be taken seriously. I wish there was a way of terrifying the idiots who don't know how to behave in a cinema.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. but that's what i LOVE about horror films, GB! it's thrilling ;)
      i propose lessons on social ethics for the idiots.

      Delete
  5. I've seen it Jaya. I was scared because it's based on a true story - ewwww.
    When that 'Thing' jumped from the top of the wardrobe I nearly left my body in fright! AND WHAT IS WITH THAT DOLL? Who would own such a freaky looking dolly like that anyway? No.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That was scary shit, Juliette! And doll ... Creepy. The real one is creepy too, go check it out. Well, I never liked dolls even as a kid. Eeeks

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm really scared to check out the Conjuring because I've heard it's absolutely terrifying but at the same time I still feel like I want to check it out after reading this review for some reason, it just sounds interesting! It also annoys me when people go to the cinema and just talk, makes me wonder why they bother going in the first place!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. there's thrill in it, Matthew :)
      horror films and thrillers.

      Delete
  8. I wish I could share your enthusiasm for Horror flicks Jaya. I don't like them at all. But then again, I don't like roller coasters either - perhaps something to do with too much adrenalin not agreeing with my system :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i just love horror and thrillers. can't say the same for sci-fi though ;p
      i'm with you on roller coasters. they make me sick.

      Delete

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