Horror is one of my favorite genres when it comes to movies. However, it is often hard to find a horror movie that combines quality with both storyline and scare-meter.

Because of that, “The Conjuring” is a pleasant surprise. The movie is able to portray horror clichés and gimmicks as original and non-cheesy while also, at times, being bone chilling.

“The Conjuring” is based on a true story which follows the strange events experienced by paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, and the Perron family.

The movie portrays events of demonic activity going so far as hauntings, possessions, exorcisms and other things that many people, including myself, don’t believe in and at times see as ridiculous.

Even though I’m more-or-less a non-believer in such activities, the movie does well in portraying these events in a realistic and entertaining way without being over-the-top.

The movie focuses more on the devastating emotional, mental and physical effects of the events the family experienced rather than just trying to scare the audience. The movie mostly interprets the viewpoints of each character using different events in order to keep the realness of the storyline.

The costumes and makeup renditions of the demons or ghosts in the movie are terrifying yet believable. If people were to see an apparition that looked like those in the movie in real life, they would definitely be scared but yet, it’s not so extreme that it would only be believable in a movie.

One of the other main factors of the movie’s success is the acting.

The casting of Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine Warren was spot on. And the real stand-out role of the movie is, truthfully, Lili Taylor’s character Carolyn Perron. Taylor does an excellent job in playing various roles within her character. Taylor goes from a loving mother concerned about her family’s safety, to a woman going partially insane from the terrifying events she experiences, to a seemingly devil-possessed corpse who has evil intentions. If you want a character with variety, you’ve got it.

“The Conjuring” is realistic, frightening and exciting while not being overly done. It will surely keep you on the edge of your seat and make you not ever want to play hide-and-seek again.

Rating: B+