All month until now, I'd seen movies that end with a notice that the depicted characters and events are fictitious -- even Blade Runner 2049, for crying out loud. This one boasts a basis in true events, with only a few changes for entertainment's sake (e.g., compressing a decade into weeks). Such claims are especially common for horrors about exorcism, probably because more people today believe in ghosts and demons than in, say, werewolves. At any rate, we know that it is partly true, insofar as the major players (among living humans, anyway) have existed and had connections with each other; two served as consultants on the film.
The main setting is a rural Rhode Island mansion in 1971. I'm not sure why the Perron family moved into a home so old and disused without learning much about it ahead of time, but I guess two spouses and five daughters don't have many options both comfortably large and affordable. Perhaps their first warning that there are worse things in it than dust and cobwebs is that the dog adamantly refuses to enter. As phenomena get increasingly difficult to explain, the Perrons turn to demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren, perhaps best known for their part in the story that inspired The Amityville Horror. Despite their expertise, the Warrens remain apprehensive; not only do exorcisms (including those of buildings rather than people) end badly sometimes, but Lorraine recently had some unshared mental trauma that might compromise her ability. And one of the perceived entities herein threatens the Warrens' daughter elsewhere....
One thing I like about this flick is how gradually it builds up. I kept being led to expect jump scares early on, and they didn't come. Basically the first act has only the sublime eeriness of The Others before heading into the family-friendly-ish freak fest of Poltergeist and then, of course, The Exorcist. According to the Warrens, this is common, with three stages for the presence of demons (or "demonics," if that distinction makes any sense): infestation, then oppression, and finally possession.
The mystery aspect comes into play as the Warrens figure out just what kinds of spirits are at work and why. Apparently, most of them don't mean any harm; they just feel eternally sorry for themselves and want the living to take notice. Only the one who's mighty territorial about her farm poses an outright danger.
Incidentally, I had heard about the infamous Annabelle doll shortly before watching. Annabelle plays a minor part herein, kinda like Hannibal Lecktor in Manhunter. I think I've seen enough not to bother checking out her eponymous flick from the following year. Not that she isn't scary, but how long can she stay that way?
If I were adapting this tale, I would pare down the size of the Perron family. As nice as it is to have a predominantly female cast, the girls crowd each other. It's hard to get a feel for all their personalities or sense each one adding something to the plot or mood. I even took a while to realize how many kids there were. But such a reduction would take credibility away from the truth claims. Reality does have a habit of including details that hinder good storytelling. OTOH, even the real Lorraine doesn't pretend that she and the now-departed Ed attempted an exorcism themselves because they couldn't wait for a priest to get Vatican permission.
The best thing about TC is how it got its R rating. There isn't a lot of violence. Nobody has sex or gets even half-naked. I don't recall any swear words or drugs. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if even the youngest actress were allowed to watch the whole thing by herself. No, it's all about the scares. The makers asked for a PG-13, and the MPAA told them that nothing short of a major flavor change would garner it.
So yeah, it's pretty effective without getting into overly hideous territory. That goes a long way with me, making up for a lack of originality.
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