“And whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” – Mark 3:11 “It’s not every day a truly scary movie comes along with strong theme about the power of God – but THE CONJURING is exactly that kind of film. Does evil exist? Are demons real? Can they possess people? Who is strong enough to defeat them? These are the questions raised by this thriller directed by James Wan (SAW, INSIDIOUS). A family moves into a farmhouse in Rhode Island and finds themselves terrorized by the supernatural. With the help of Ed and Lorraine Warren, they must rely on God to help them fight and exorcise the evil that has entered their lives. THE CONJURING was intended by screenwriters Chad and Carey Hayes as a movie where “God wins.” “That was a non-negotiable for us,” Carey said. “We’re never going to glorify evil.” Added Chad: “We want people to feel great after seeing it. To be scared and entertained, of course, but to walk out of the theater with a good feeling because good, God, is victorious.”

When I received the invite for the pre-screening, I mentioned it to my husband and was ready to delete the email. I don’t do scary movies. When I was younger, yes. Stuff like that didn’t bother me.

I couldn’t even watch the entire movie trailer without closing my eyes and looking away! Why would I want to torture myself?

My world was rocked when my husband said he would like to see the movie.

Have I subjected him to multiple viewings of Hope Floats and Steel Magnolias? Yes!

Maybe I should take one for the team and plan on a date night.

So I started doing a little research. The movie is based on a true story about the Perron family, and the horrors they experienced after moving into their new home in 1973. Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren were asked to help the family rid themselves of the dark, malevolent forces that were terrorizing their secluded farmhouse. When Ed and Lorraine Warren visit the farmhouse to help the Perron’s they find themselves caught up in the most terrifying case of their lives.

“There is no conceivable way to condense what we as a family endured in the farmhouse into a two-hour motion picture but James (Wan) captured the essence of it and for this I will remain eternally grateful. There are liberties taken and a few discrepancies but overall, it is what it claims to be — based on a true story, believe it or not .” Andrea Perron

I had to admit the story intrigued me, so I took one for the team and we went to the movie. As Brian sat eating his butter drenched popcorn, I listened in on the conversations around me. The guy next to me said his brother saw it the day before and thought it was the scariest movie he’d seen in a while. The girl in front said she had heard the only reason it was rated R was for the terror. There was none of the nudity, cursing, or graphic bloody violence that is normally associated with horror films. She was right on most of those. I heard the Lord’s name taken in vain on two or three occasions, and really felt like that didn’t need to be there. It was refreshing to not have the F-bomb flying though.

The Conjuring began and I was immediately scared. There really wasn’t a dull moment in the movie. Most of it was intensely terrifying.

I had goose bumps.

I jumped and screamed…multiple times.

I honestly was so scared at one point that I was crying.

Brian said I broke his thumb when I was squeezing his hand. He also said it “was the scariest movie I’ve ever seen.”

From beginning to end, this movie has you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what will happen next. If you love scary movies, you should run out and see this movie. If the paranormal intrigues you, go see this movie. If you are a chicken like me but know your husband wants to see this movie, go see this movie. Everyone should see this movie.

Except for my nine year old. He wouldn’t sleep in his own bed for months if he saw this movie. Everyone else, go see The Conjuring.