Tony Buchholtz Samuel Ward Academy
Textual Analysis – The Conjuring
Textual Analysis – The Conjuring The Conjuring is a rated 15 horror film based around the supernatural and it is based on a true story that happened in 1971. This makes it scarier for the audience as it makes them believe it could happen to them and that the supernatural are real. The film setting is very typical for a horror film as it is set in an old house in a secluded area. This is common in horror films because the idea of being isolated without a possibility of escape or help plays on the fears of most people and this in turn makes the film scarier for the audience as it’s more relatable and makes them believe it could happen to them. The haunted house represents another typical convention of a horror film that is evident in The Conjuring. Haunted houses or locations are included in the majority of all supernatural horror films, it plays on the fact it’s a domestic setting which links back to the provocation of fear through a feeling of familiarity in the audience. The house in The Conjuring is haunted by a demonic spirit that has latched on the family. Symbols of death and the Devil often play a key part in supernatural horrors. Whilst symbols of the devil are less realistic, they still create an element of fear because the idea that such a horrific entity could exist makes the audience feel unsettles which is what horror films set out to do. Exorcism is a common method in supernatural horror films to free a person or object from a demon or the Devil and is extremely unsettling to watch. Towards the end of The Conjuring, the paranormal investigators have to perform an exorcism. One of the characters is strapped down to a chair and whilst the exorcism is being performed. She shifts into a monster-like figure and begins coughing blood and screaming. Blood and a screaming victim are another typical convention of horror films as screaming is a natural reaction of our body when we are in a panic situation to call for help and to let our fear out and there usually is blood because in the majority of horrors at least one character is murdered.
An icon of horror that can be seen in The Conjuring is the use of dark and isolated places, in this case the basement. While at the beginning of the film the basement is boarded up, the new homeowners (the Perron’s) decide to remove the boards and take a look around. As basements are associated as unused dark and eerie, they scare the audience and create the emotion of claustrophobia and the fear of the unknown. Plus, the majority of the people have basements in their houses so this links back to the idea of using domestic settings to unnerve the audience. Another very common horror theme being used in The Conjuring is the act of witchcraft. Although it is seen as unrealistic, there is still a big enough element of possibility to it which makes the audience uncomfortable. The last owner of the house where the family moves to in The Conjuring was accused of the usage of witchcraft when she was caught sacrificing her 3 week old son to the Devil. This is typical of a horror film because, again, it links in with the Devil and signs of death. It also links in with death itself, hence the sacrifice and more specifically murder, and lastly it links to the act of witchcraft which is supernatural and anyone seen to be a witch was burned alive at that time. The Conjuring includes practically all elements of a horror film. The supernatural, death, signs of the Devil, blood, an isolated setting, a haunted house and weak protagonists are all featured in the film. It clearly meets the aims of horror films by provoking emotional instability and fear in the audience, whilst captivating and entertaining them. The film concentrates on provoking the audience’s worst fears and it plays on their nature, vulnerability, fear of death and that of the unknown.