Genre Research: The Conjuring

    The 2013 horror film, The Conjuring, is to this day, one of my absolute favorite horror movies I've seen. Although it's not considered, "a classic", yet that is, it still is a very solid movie overall. Camera angles are various throughout this movie. From low angle shots to tracking shots, this movie does a very good job of using everything it could at its disposal. The best part of being able to use all of these angles and movements is that it really immerses the viewer with the characters and plot of the movie. This causes an experience that is 10 times more gripping, especially if you saw it in the theatre. Lighting is exactly what you would expect from a horror film. Dark, gloomy, and jam-packed with shadows around every corner in every shot, this movie does a great job setting the mood in each scene.

    Sound plays an important role in this movie as it uses it for a lot of its scares. For many of the jump scares, a loud crash or bang will accompany a falling object or character in the film. It seems as if the sound is a character itself in this film, as it does the best job in scaring the viewer. Additionally, much like other movies in the thriller/horror genre, many of the scenes are accompanied by a rising score to build tension and suspense. Editing was clearly used to make a lot of the paranormal things happen throughout the movie. However, many of the scenes were actually made using tricky shooting and cutting. The crew could set up wires and such to make objects fall on cue for a scene. But, when objects would fly across the screen or things/characters would float, that was clearly editing post-shooting. Like I mentioned before, a score was added after shooting to a lot of the shots to make the scenes more intense for the viewer.

    The common conventions of horror movies that are displayed in The Conjuring include lighting, sound, and props. Commonly, horror movies are set in a creepy, dark place. In this case, the majority of the film takes place inside an old, creepy farmhouse. The lighting in most shots is dark and grey, causing most of the movie to have a gloomy, but spooky feel. This is why I enjoyed this movie so much I think. No matter how many times I watch it, I feel my heart race as the music slowly picks up. Just when you think the characters are safe, another jump scare happens. Overall, this film is definitely in my top 10 horror movies of the last decade.