I browsed Netflix for a good end to the month and came across this title. Why wasn't it on my list already? After all, I liked The Conjuring, and the first sequel was reputed to be almost as good. I'm just not in the habit of watching horror sequels.
Around Christmas of 1977, shortly after their Amityville incident, paranormal experts Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) are invited to the London Borough of Enfield. The Hodgsons, consisting of mother Peggy (Frances O'Connor) and four kids, have lately had stressful domestic conflict and an abortive Ouija effort, both of which are said to feed into an unwelcome presence, and the ensuing events have been frightful enough to make them seek shelter with neighbors. These events, including apparent part-time possession of 11-year-old Janet (Madison Wolfe), are attributed to the hostile spirit of a prior resident (Bob Adrian). The Catholic Church won't authorize an exorcism without compelling evidence. That's where the Warrens come in, coordinating with convinced investigator Maurice Grosse (Simon McBurnie) and doubtful psychologist Anita Gregory (Franka Potente). But Lorraine, with her psychic connections, gets the feeling that this mission will be more dangerous than any they've tackled before....
Don't worry about getting lost because you haven't seen the first entry. This one makes few callbacks, and I'd clean forgotten what they referred to. All you need to know is that this isn't nearly the Warrens' first rodeo.
One thing that strikes me about the supernatural components is that they're not particularly "shy." When skeptics comes to examine witness claims, they tend to initiate a dismissal and promptly learn to retract it. Only when it comes to recordings that would satisfy the Church, or even the Warrens, does the enemy hold back.
We do get a little more violence this time, since the filmmakers were no longer aiming for PG-13. Nevertheless, it's mostly in the form of visions of the past or possible future, with rather abstract presentations. While the threat level is indeed higher, the present injuries are not R material. I figure the rating is still for scares more than anything else.
Do I share the MPAA's opinion of scariness? Pretty much. The tropes are rather standard for the genre, but I can't fault the skill that goes into them. At several points, I adjusted my sitting position in case I was about to get jolted into hurting myself. Not that it's big on jump scares, but the buildup isn't as slow as before. Get used to hearing a lot of screams. No wonder Farmiga had a swollen lymph node during promotions.
If you're hoping for more of Annabelle the haunted doll, you'll find her in spin-offs, but she gets only a fleeting end-credits cameo here. Far more prominent is a creepy nun (Bonnie Aarons) appearing before Lorraine, evidently in mockery of her faith. This character also has a spin-off, as does...well, I shouldn't tell you everything.
I won't pass any judgment on fidelity to what actually happened in Enfield. I do know that viewers found a number of errors in the movie, not least anachronisms. Hopefully, you'll be too engrossed to pay them any mind.
Definitely a worthy follow-up as well as a worthy Halloween sendoff. I don't intend to check out other parts of the franchise, but I might try other horrors from director James Wan.
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