The Conjuring

Before they investigated the notorious Amityville haunting, real-life demonologist Ed Warren and his clairvoyant wife Lorraine supported the Perron family through a supernatural onslaught at their Rhode Island farmhouse in 1971. The Warrens are played here by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, opposite Lili Taylor and Ron Livingston as the new homeowners whose five daughters are first to sense a hateful entity linking back to the Salem witch trials. Director James Wan gets double the impact by combining this "true" story with echoes of his own films, including Saw and Dead Silence. The effect is seamless in what is, initially, a superbly produced, potent tale of things going bump in the night. But after a terrific "lifting the sheet" scene, the spectre becomes a bit of a wet blanket, and the finale turns into a long-winded tribute to The Exorcist. It's clear where this is all headed, but Wan sure does know his way around a haunted house.