Whether it was warm, dusky evenings spent watching Friday the 13th marathons on TV or renting a worn VHS copy of Jaws 3 for a slumber party, summer has always put me in the mood for horror. The movies seemed more suited to the season, as many of the best-known titles warned that with hot weather came dead campers, bloody beaches, and vacations from hell. With the ambitious dystopian murder fest The Purge offering so-so thrills and the artsy slasher pic Maniac not seeing wide release, there’s still need for some memorable scares this year — and one trailer promises just that.
A third look at James Wan’s The Conjuring was released, and, like the first two, it provides a few indicators of a decent horror film. The foreboding “Based on A True Story” claim — delivered in a creepy voice à la John Larroquette in Texas Chainsaw Massacre — and the haunted house, Amityville Horror elements are irresistible draws to the story of a family terrorized by a dark presence. The footage also goes the extra mile by featuring interviews with the Perrons, the real people whose supernatural encounters inspired the film. I don’t know what else they could possibly do to sell this spooky tale.
See the trailer below:
Synopsis:
Before there was Amityville, there was Harrisville. Based on a true story, “The Conjuring” tells the horrifying tale of how world-renowned paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren were called upon to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in a secluded farmhouse. Forced to confront a powerful demonic entity, the Warrens find themselves caught in the most terrifying case of their lives.
The Conjuring stars Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Ron Livingston, Lili Taylor, Joey King, Shanley Caswell, Haley McFarland, Mackenzie Foy, Kyla Deaver, and Sterling Jerins. It will hit theaters on July 19th.
Does the testimony from the Perrons change your view of the film? Are you more or less likely to see it, based on this next glimpse?