Structurally Sound: Where 'The Conjuring 2' Falls Short of the Original
Let me preface this article by outlining that I thought The Conjuring 2 was a fantastic follow-up to the original film from three years ago. James Wan has managed to infuse a humanity and created a meaningful attachment to the characters in both films that makes this more than just two (or four all up) hours of horror.
The Conjuring 2 features a slightly underdone cast in comparison to the original, but I still felt involved in their turmoil. Wan keeps it simple, creating families for both films that are both wholesome and based on a foundation of love despite the realities of life and family dynamic. While the male to female ratio of children is evened up somewhat in the second one, the similarities immediately start there despite the mother in this instance being a single one.
It features a location change, and we travel with the Warren's to Enfield, England, and are taken away from the middle-of-nowhere to a small apartment in a busy suburban street. Instantly, there's a new vibe here: evil can sprout anywhere it wants to (or anywhere the script demands it, but whatever). We get more outside voices this time around, rather than being limited to the family and the investigators involved. Also, too, the trauma infests itself inside the lives of the Warran's to a greater extent than it did in the first film, emphasising the very thing that's central to this franchise.
It's fascinating that this coupling of Ed and Lorraine Warren is such a relieving facet of both films. When they're on the screen, there's a sense that things will be okay. We experience that with the victims, even if it may not at all times be true. With the Warren's is where the similarities in structure kick in. Both times, the first half of the film, consisting of act 1 and half of act 2, are committed to introducing us to, first the family, and then the trauma that the family is experiencing. Most of the horror takes place in this opening half, introducing us to the great unknown in an unsettling way. This time around, in the sequel, it's a more claustrophobic experience. And while a lot of these moments of horror we see coming from a mile away (the firetruck in the tent), it's still effective because Wan has a knack for suspense. If horror is about build-up, then Wan is a master at his trade.
At the midpoint, after seeing the Warren's sparsely throughout the first half of the film, they commit themselves to journeying into the heart of whatever it is infecting the victims of whichever movie it is. That's the midpoint. The Warren's enter the main frame, and from there we spend time with them and the family as they get to know the children, investigate whatever is going on, and eventually engage in a climactic battle for the soul of this family and the lives at stake. As enjoyably as it is a second time, it is also very familiar.
Fortunately, the sequel introduces enough unique elements to keep things interesting. The Crooked Man is perhaps the standout, a gloriously creepy, long-limbed and towering monster that makes even the simplest of children's rhymes sound eerily terrifying. What's more, the evil that's infested this film does not attach itself to the victims, as it did in the first. Instead, the family can escape the house (barring one particular member) and seek out refuge elsewhere.
But these are minute, obvious changes. Sequel's can't be rinse-and-repeat, even if we have seen it happen before. Instead, though, The Conjuring sticks to a successful formula, and a structurally sound original provided the framework for the follow-up. It didn't affect my enjoyment of the sequel by any means, but it does suggest that maybe, in this case, the third time's the charm, and we may not tolerate the same old layout a third time.
Speaking with IGN, Wan has said that he has a lot of ideas for future installments, but does suggest that there could be a time change. While the first two films took place in the 70s, the next could see us jump forward to the 80s. Again, though, this sounds like a simple spin on the locale change.
Whatever the case, The Conjuring 2 is a notable example of the rise of horror in 2016, something of a revitalisation for one of the hardest genres to keep fresh and relevant. If The Conjuring 3 maintains the same structure with a new story and elements, it's sure to be a well made and enjoyable film. But if James Wan has something different up his sleeve, then just maybe the franchise will shoot up into something bigger than just a successful horror franchise. The more success the horror genre finds, the more demand there will be for innovative and well-made films. And that, for the audience, can only be a good thing.
