James Wan Page 2

James Wan

James Wan Quick Links

News Video Film Comments RSS

The Conjuring 2 Review

Very Good

Continuing on from the 2013 hit, this sequel blends fact and fiction to follow real-life ghostbusters Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) from the 1976 Amityville haunting to an encounter with the Enfield poltergeist in 1977 London. Filmmaker James Wan continues to deploy every cinematic gimmick he knows to freak out the audience, and the fact that it's based on a true story makes it even more unsettling. Although the cliches of the genre feel a bit tired.

The story opens in Amityville, where the Warrens are deeply disturbed by supernatural forces and decide to take some time off. But they're soon summoned to England to help a family being terrorised by a nasty spirit. Arriving in Enfield, North London, they meet Peggy Hodgson (Frances O'Connor), a plucky single mother of four, who is worried that the ghost of an angry old man is threatening her 11-year-old daughter Janet (Madison Wolfe). Now staying with neighbours (Simon Delaney and Maria Doyle Kennedy) across the street, Peggy has also called in two experts, a true believer (Simon McBurney) and a sceptic (Franka Potente), to work with the Warrens to clear this malevolent presence from the family home.

While the script inventively intermingles the facts of the case with a generous dose of movie fiction, Wan fills the screen with all kinds of creepy goings-on, including banging noises, levitating furniture and flickering TV screens. Additional standard scares include a nerve-jangling toy and a seriously scary nun (who's about to get her own spin-off film, like the creepy doll Annabelle from the first movie). Wan also uses manipulative movie trickery from moody music to grubby production design to prowling camerawork that constantly reveals something frightening in the deep shadows. What he never does is find a new way to scare the audience: we have seen all of these tricks before, but of course they still work.

Continue reading: The Conjuring 2 Review

'The Conjuring 2' Smashes The Weekend's Domestic Box Office


James Wan

Despite lukewarm reviews (at least in comparison to the critical acclaim of the first movie), James Wan's horror sequel 'The Conjuring 2' easily came out on top in the weekend's (June 10th-12th) box office numbers, almost doubling the gross total of number two 'Warcraft' which hasn't seen the domestic success to match its hype.

The Conjuring 2The Conjuring 2 has smashed the box office

The return of Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as ghosthunters Ed and Lorraine Warren in this re-telling of the Enfield Poltergeist case was met warmly by critics, but the lack of slow-burning horror and surge of cheap jump-scares left people feeling a little disappointed. Nonetheless, it has a respectable 75% on Rotten Tomatoes and now it has the domestic box office figures to match.

Continue reading: 'The Conjuring 2' Smashes The Weekend's Domestic Box Office

'The Conjuring 2' Reviews: Good Enough That The Cheap Scares Are Forgiven By Most Critics


James Wan Patrick Wilson Vera Farmiga

'The Conjuring 2' always had a lot to live up to after the original film in 2013; how was James Wan going to scare his audience with his next Ed and Lorraine Warren case? As it turns out, the new movie has much less of that slow-burning dread about it and a lot more cheap 'BOO!' moments. But that doesn't mean the critics didn't love it.

The Conjuring 2'The Conjuring 2' isn't as much of a slow-burner as its predecessor

Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson return in this fictional re-telling of The Enfield Poltergiest; a true story of a family in London back in the 70s who were terrorized by a number of malevolent spirits, all centering around one of the daughters, Janet. It's a very meticulously recorded case, so there was a lot of source material to take from - but the 133 minutes of movie that came out of it was always going to be controversial.

Continue reading: 'The Conjuring 2' Reviews: Good Enough That The Cheap Scares Are Forgiven By Most Critics

The Conjuring 2 Trailer


Not fazed by their previous experiences, Lorraine and Ed Warren are still successful paranormal investigators and their reputations have made them known around the world. As they hunt for new cases to investigate they decide to travel to England, Enfield just outside London to help a single mother and her children who are being haunted by a nasty spirit. 

Continue: The Conjuring 2 Trailer

'Prisoners' Steals Away The Top Spot At Slow Weekend Box Office


Hugh Jackman Jake Gyllenhaal James Wan Chris Brown Luc Besson

Prisoners successful rode the wave of critical acclaim thrust it's way to emerge as the top performing movie at the box office this weekend. Taking in £21.4 million between Friday and Sunday, the film easily beat it's closest rival, the horror sequel Insidious 2, to the top spot, in what was one of the slowest weekends at the movies all year.

Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal
Hugh Jackman (L) and Jake Gyllenhaal (R) star in the kidnap thriller

The Warner Bros. action-drama opened across 3,260 locations this weekend, and off the back of strong critical reception and with little else on offer, the film was always front-runner for the box office crown. With a strong cast led by Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal, the films see's father Keller Dover (Jackman) as his world is torn apart when his six-year-old daughter and her friend go missing at Thanksgiving. When Detective Loki (Gyllenhaal) is called in to find the girls, he makes a promise to Keller that he will see his daughter again. The case looks solved when the RV-dwelling loner Alex Jones (Paul Dano) is found at the scene and immediately becomes the prime suspect. But with only a 48 hour hold on him, the police are unable to make Jones talk in time before he can be re-released. Enraged, Keller decides to take matters into his own hands and it is soon up to Loki to get to the bottom of the case before it's too late for the missing girls, and too late for Keller and Jones.

Continue reading: 'Prisoners' Steals Away The Top Spot At Slow Weekend Box Office

'Insidious 2' Brings In Whopping $41 Million On Opening Weekend: Where Does It Stand Amongst 2013's High Earners?


James Wan Patrick Wilson

Insidious 2 smashed predictions by bringing in a huge sum of $41 million over the weekend, a feat make all the more impressive by the fact that it now stands as the second highest earning September release of all time. A resounding result for the horror genre itself, but where does it place amongst the other big hitters of 2013, a year that has seen records broken and ticket sales reach new highs (and lows in some respects).

Patrick Wilson
Patrick Wilson: the new face of the horror genre?

The $41 mil. the new movie made actually puts it second in the list of highest earning horror movies in 2013, with The Conjuring inching ahead only just with $41.9 million. Yet despite this tremendous haul for the two horror titles, neither are actually amongst the heaviest hitting movies of the year and in fact, neither of the two horror titles are in the top ten for highest grossing movies in their respective opening weekends.

Continue reading: 'Insidious 2' Brings In Whopping $41 Million On Opening Weekend: Where Does It Stand Amongst 2013's High Earners?

The Conjuring Manages To Scare It's Way To The Top Of The US Box Office


Vera Farmiga Ryan Reynolds James Wan Brad Pitt

The Conjuring is Universal's re-telling of a 'true' story about a family who move to a rural old farmhouse in New England to live the good life, only problem is; they're not alone at their new place, as they soon find out over the course of the fright-fest. In a crowded box office market the Vera Farmiga-starring horror film managed to scare off competition and emerge as the top grossing film this weekend.

Watch the trailer for The Conjuring

The James Wan (Saw, Insidious) directed flick won many plaudits from critic who praised the film as one of the years most genuinely frightening movies and clearly America took notice of this praise as thousands flocked through the turnstiles to make it a clear box office winner. In a market that is usually dominated by family films or action movies at this time of year, Universal gambled when they released the horror, but clearly this was a gamble that has paid off for the Hollywood powerhouse who recouped over $40 million in the film's first week.

Continue reading: The Conjuring Manages To Scare It's Way To The Top Of The US Box Office

The Conjuring Released: Has It Scared Horror Critics Silly Though?


Vera Farmiga Patrick Wilson James Wan Lili Taylor

If you're not a fan of jump scares, stay well, well away from The Conjuring as the trailer presumably only gives a slight hint of what the latest James Wan scare-fest is serving up cold.

In true, clichéd horror movie style, there's an old, creaky house, a creepy doll, plinky-plonky nursery rhymes, whispering little girls and a protagonist who doesn't know better than to go into the cellar from which they just heard an unsettling noise.on their own...at night...with only a lit match for light. However, before you go and dismiss The Conjuring as "just another ghost film," remember that its strengths lie in its proudly worn 'true story' badge. The film is based on the reported events recorded by Andrea Perron in her novel House of Darkness, House of Light after her mother Carolyn and father Roger purchased their dream Rhode Island home in the early 70s but, after a string of unnerving incidents, find that the old house in inhabited by some very disturbed spirits indeed.

Vera Farmiga
Vera Farmiga Plays One Of The Paranormal Investigators.

Continue reading: The Conjuring Released: Has It Scared Horror Critics Silly Though?

Insidious: Chapter 2 Trailer


Renai and Josh Lambert think that their life is back to normal after a horrific paranormal ordeal involving their son Dalton whose gift of astral projection landed him in a coma and possessed by several malevolent forces. However, Josh is now tormented by his own demon after it succeeded in claiming his body when he ventured into 'The Further' to save his child. His wife and child are unaware of his condition at first, but it soon becomes clear that they have to rope in new ghost-busting help to save their family who are far from out of danger yet. They're no strangers to inanimate objects moving of their own accord and ghostly figures wandering around their house, but what they're facing now could be much more sinister than they ever imagined.

Continue: Insidious: Chapter 2 Trailer

Fast And Furious 6: High Octane Thrill Ride, Or Car Crash? [Trailer & Pictures]


Dwayne Johnson Vin Diesel Michelle Rodriguez Justin Lin James Wan Luke Evans

Vin Diesel in Fast & Furious 6
Vin Diesel in Fast & Furious 6

The final trailer for Fast & Furious 6 is finally here, featuring Dwayne Johnson, Tyrese Gibson and Vin Diesel driving cars really, really fast. Ok, so it's a little more than that, though not too much. Essentially, the latest trailer is the best bits from the previous clips that have made their way online.

If you're a fan of the franchise you're probably aware that Justin Lin's swan song in the series follows Dwayne Johnson's Luke Hobbs tracking down Dom Toretto (Diesel) in order to ask for his help in taking down a much more dangerous criminal gang, led by Owen Shaw (Luke Evans). Johnson's character needs to recover Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez) whom he assumed was dead. Of course, nothing is ever that simple in the world of the Fast and the Furious and Shaw has his own team of experts pulling off dating heists. 

Continue reading: Fast And Furious 6: High Octane Thrill Ride, Or Car Crash? [Trailer & Pictures]

The Conjuring Trailer


When the Perron family of six move to a rural old farmhouse in New England, things seemed too good to be true as they find themselves with more space than they could've dreamed of. However, their perfect family unit is soon to be disrupted when strange and often violent supernatural happenings keep taking place about the house at all hours of the day and night. They soon find themselves the target of a demonic spirit hell-bent on devastating their lives and family home. In a bid to rid themselves of this dark force, they call upon the noted paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren, to help bring some peace back into their lives. Little do they know that even the Warrens are in too deep with this particular case.

Continue: The Conjuring Trailer

James Wan

James Wan Quick Links

News Video Film Comments RSS

Occupation

Actor


James Wan Movies

The Conjuring 2 Movie Review

The Conjuring 2 Movie Review

Continuing on from the 2013 hit, this sequel blends fact and fiction to follow real-life...

The Conjuring 2 Trailer

The Conjuring 2 Trailer

Not fazed by their previous experiences, Lorraine and Ed Warren are still successful paranormal investigators...

Insidious: Chapter 3 Movie Review

Insidious: Chapter 3 Movie Review

Instead of wrapping up a trilogy, writer-turned-director Leigh Whannell launches a new horror franchise with...

Furious 7 - Super Bowl TV Spot Trailer

Furious 7 - Super Bowl TV Spot Trailer

The sins of London have followed them home. After throwing Owen Shaw (Luke Evans) out...

Advertisement
Furious 7 Trailer

Furious 7 Trailer

The cast of 'Furious 7' talk about their favourite moments from the 'Fast & Furious'...

Insidious: Chapter 2 Trailer

Insidious: Chapter 2 Trailer

Renai and Josh Lambert think that their life is back to normal after a horrific...

The Conjuring Trailer

The Conjuring Trailer

When the Perron family of six move to a rural old farmhouse in New England,...

Artists
Actors
    Filmmakers
      Artists
      Bands
        Musicians
          Artists
          Celebrities
             
              Artists
              Interviews