Fun Facts about this film:

1. On the first day of shooting, a priest was brought to bless the set.

2. James Wan was offered a “life altering” amount of money in order to direct Fast 8(2017). However, he turned the opportunity down to direct The Conjuring 2 (2016). “I feel rejuvenated to tell a scary story one more time”, James Wan said on Instagram.

3. It had the biggest opening weekend gross for a horror film in three years. The previous film being The Conjuring (2013).

Before the film

If you read one of my earlier posts about the first film, you’d know that I absolutely loved it. You can check it out here. Since I knew it was the same director, I hoped it would still be story-driven, and of course, it was. Fortunately, it still maintained to incorporate the horror elements we all love.

The Conjuring 2

Director: James Wan
Release date: June 10, 2016
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Rating: R
Duration: 2 hr 14 min
Writers: Carey and Chad Hayes, James Wan, David Leslie Johnson

Cast:
Ed Warren … Patrick Wilson
Lorraine Warren … Vera Farmiga
Janet Hodgson … Madison Wolfe
Peggy Hodgson … Frances O’Conner

Synopsis: World renowned paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren, venture to London in an attempt to help Peggy Hodgson, a single mother whose family is being terrorized by evil in her home.

What I Liked:

• As previously mentioned, the film is story-driven; the audience focuses on the family, the marriage between Ed and Lorraine, and faith.

• Wan, the director, knows when to terrify his audience and how.

  • The Unknown – it’s what you don’t see, that’ll scare you the most.

  • The Anticipation – JESUS! This is definitely a trait Wan has perfected. I can attest to that!

  • The Visual – I will never look at a nun the same. Ever. But I’m glad we got to SEE the horror instead of just hearing it. This is why we watch scary movies to begin with, right? Unlike other directors, who just give you a glimpse of what you’re DYING to see. Wan makes sure you REMEMBER what they look like.

  • The Chase – and as always, the fall. ha! I will be SO HAPPY when the day comes and NO ONE FALLS from the chase.

  • The Disfigured – Ugh. This is always creepy.

  • The Phobias – If you fear it, it’ll show. I’m pretty sure I slept with the hall light on.

  • The Location – Yep. It’s a creepy house, with evil. Enough said and needed really.

  • The Monster – Or, in this case, monsterS.

  • The Sound and Music – Honestly, this is what gets me hiding behind the popcorn tub, or napkin, or purse.

• We learn more about the Warrens and what they’ve been through, how they feel about each other, how they met, and their future goals. We discovered just how much their both affected by each case they take.

• The acting – Damn! That little girl is going places! She TRULY FREAKED ME THE F*** OUT! The family were also incredible! PHENOMENAL JOB!

• The Warren’s intuition – They knew better! Always trust your gut instinct! It might just save you!

• Patrick Wilson’s singing – He needs his own album. I’d totally buy it. And possibly 5 more.

• The skeptics – This was something I’m glad they included in the film and also how the Warrens saw both sides of this situation; it could be paranormal, or a hoax.

• The Loop – This is a movie feature I’ve always loved; when they begin the film with a scene from the end, show what happened before and in between, and then how it got to that one scene at the beginning. LOVE THAT!

What I Didn’t Like:

• I wanted more! To be frank, I’m a chicken. I get scared easily. I promised my dad and my boyfriend that I was NOT going to hide behind the popcorn, and I actually didn’t. Truth be told, I was proud of myself, but disappointed that I didn’t have to. I could barely watch the first film without flinching. However, I still think it was pretty darn good. LET’S PRAY FOR ANOTHER ONE!

• I felt like it ended so suddenly! Again, this goes back to the first bullet, I WANTED MORE!

• That it gave me horrible nightmares for about three nights in a row.

My Rating:

Trailer:

Other Film Facts:

• Patrick Wilson did his own singing.

• One of the real-life allegations that didn’t feature in the movie, was that the Hodgson children’s toys were thrown around and were too hot to touch.

• While promoting the film in June 2016, star Vera Farmiga was still suffering from a swollen lymph node she received during filming, due to the intense screaming she had to perform. Due to technical challenges, she would sometimes do 50 takes in a row, all featuring her screaming.

• During a screening of the film in India, a 65-year-old man started complaining of chest pains and fainted. He was rushed to the hospital, but could not be helped and was declared dead on arrival. Shortly after, the hospital staff asked the man’s friend to transport the body to a bigger hospital, where it could be properly examined. The friend loaded the body in his vehicle and took off. Neither he nor the body arrived in the bigger hospital, and they have not been seen since then.

Sources:

Horror Elements
The Conjuring 2 Trivia
The Conjuring 2 IMDb

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