The Conjuring (2013)

Director: James Wan

Country: U.S.A.

Tagline: Look what you made me do

Plot: Based on a 'true story' recalled by paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren (who also investigated the infamous Amityville house) the film retells the terrifying experiences of the Perron family's encounter with a spirit of a witch and the apparations of her subsequent victims in their Rhode Island farmhouse.

Verdict: It is rare to find a film that has some genuine scares these days. The Conjuring delivers on it's promise to be frightening. I am particularly difficult to scare, hence why I spend my time watching the so-called scariest movies of all time and writing them off as utter pants. Even I admit at jumped at the conjuring. The acting was brilliant, it couldn't be faulted (this is always important in convincing horror in the viewer) and the premise, indeed based on a true story made the tale that much more believable. If you are in the mood for something genuinely terrifying this Friday 13th and you aren't a horror hardcore, this will make your hair stand on end.

Lovely Molly (2011)

Director: Eduardo Sanchez

Country: U.S.A.

Tagline: 'Something is inside her' (can I just say, eww?! yeah, watch the film)

Plot: An orphaned former drug addict moves into her childhood home with her newly wedded husband, but it soon appears that her father never left the house...

Verdict: This film mixes elements of found footage quite effectively - recordings from 'lovely' Molly's wedding and her own recordings of her stumble into insanity. Basically, the premise isn't really very new - it becomes increasingly apparent that Molly's father was abusive, hence her subsequent drug addiction and constant teetering on the edge of normality. As the viewer, we are insure whether Molly is being raped and possessed by the spirit of her father or if her heroin use mixed with traumatic memories (previously, we assume, she had pushed from her mind as a coping mechanism) brought back up by moving into her parents' house causes a psychotic breakdown. By the end of the film, I was pretty convinced it was the former; but the lack of answers didn't add to the mystery of the film, rather, took away from there being any solid narrative. What you are left with is a bleak and depressing series of rather boring yet bloody events and a little bit of a sick feeling in your stomach.. but not in that good 'I just watched a gore-ific horror' kind of way. The film leaves you with many, many unanswered questions, such as 'How and when did Molly's husband encounter the very same woman Molly's possessed self was stalking at night with a cam-corder?', 'Am I the only one who notices these seemingly obvious plot holes?' and 'Was that a valuable waste of 2 hours?' No, it probably was not. In conclusion, this would serve better as a play to spotlight Gretchen Lodge's brilliant acting than it does as a worthy piece of horror cinema!