The Conjuring 2 Versus Reality: A Film Review

Paranormal Investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren were never that deeply involved with the real life paranormal case which took place on 284 Green Street, Enfield — a borough in London, England. The Conjuring 2 is a compression of a few facts from the investigation and, as with most movie adaptations, never truly take into account all the details. Huge liberties are taken and I'm sure the real Janet Hodgson (played in the film by Madison Wolfe) does not approve of certain alterations.

The case lasted for about two years instead of weeks. The investigators who spent months on this case were SPR members Guy Lyon Playfair and Maurice Grosse — the latter barely gets enough of a spotlight. While this group of researchers are modestly credited, the shift in who are the heroes is more disheartening in the long run. Psychology professor Anita Gregory received a nod in this fictional account and John Beloff is ignored.

As for who were involved requires looking into the documents filed with the Society for Psychical Research’s (SPR) archives versus the claims made by other reports (including the marketing for this film). Playfair gave an interview on Darkness Radio about his experiences in this case and his encounter with Ed Warren. However sad this meeting was, the impressions left behind by this self-prescribed demonologist were enough for Playfair to leave him be and let his own demons eat away at him at the end.

For this film, there were issues in the narrative that did not get explored as much as other interpretations of the case. This film is not the end all of the multiple treatments media has given this case. Sky Living’s three-part series, The Enfield Haunting, was broadcasted last year that offered more connecting details than this film. As most spiritualists know, just keeping the wrong items in a home will cause problems.

One detail that’s revealed is where the previous owner of the home died, on a particular worn-out chair that’s conveniently located in a dilapidated corner of the living room. The set-up is too obvious and I can understand why it was never fixed or moved out. Peggy cannot afford to hire anyone. Playing with an ouija board, especially in a horror film, is a no-no. Anyone who has seen enough of these movies will know just that alone is invitation enough to invite ghosts to the fore. When you try to talk to them, they will reply back. Just what the dead can reveal depends on what they know.

In this film’s case, it’s to cause problems for young Janet. She’s accused of acting out, and after an incident at school where she’s caught smoking, her mother, Peggy (Frances O'Connor) scolds her and the problems immediately start to pile up. The family is struggling to make ends meet and try as they might to do well after Father left, perhaps that’s motive enough for the subconscious to manifest anger management issues. The poltergeist activity is only getting worse.

Little moments of reasoning and added humour appear in this film to make this product a step above all other haunted house scenarios. A few instances are explained as hoaxes, which I like. But it was done because the spirit told Janet it will harm the family if she did not do something to drive them out. While the cops left without hesitation, paranormal investigators are made of sterner stuff. Additionally, the pattern is as how the activity started. The youngest child, Billy (Benjamin Haigh) is the first to witness the terror. Sadly another brother, Johnny (Patrick McAuley), barely gets enough mention or notice. He’s like a ghost in the film only to give authenticity to the fact the real incident involved a family of five.

Eventually, the story plods back to the stars of this movie, Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) and they are asked by the Church of England to look into what’s going on at the Hodgson home to see if they need a full exorcism or not. In what these investigators discover, somehow ties into what they found back when they were searching for answers in the famous Amityville case, to which they are better known for. The idea is far-fetched but for screenwriters James Wan, Chad Hayes, Carey Hayes and David Leslie Johnson it makes sense.

There may be whispers between spirits and demons in the Great Beyond plotting to destroy the mortal world, and in what Lorraine discovered in this film’s prologue, the horror is enough to make her stop investigating. This idea works great for Insidious (when it is not based on real life events) but for films that are loosely based on real-world incidents, not so much. The visual thrill-ride is fun but the narrative has holes, which needed filling.

Overall: 2 stars out of 5.

Writer Ed Sum is a paranormal investigator, himself. Also, he writes for his own website, which can be found here: Ed Sum at OtakunoCulture

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