If going to the movies and being terrified is your idea of a great night out, then The Conjuring 2 is for you. Like the original, this supernatural horror is based on the life and work of real-life American paranormal investigators, Ed (Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Farmiga).
It opens with the couple investigating the famous Amityville Horror in 1976, during which Lorraine experiences a terrifying premonition, before moving on to another famous case; the Hodgson Family and the Enfield Poltergeist.
Solo mother Peggy Hodgson (O'Connor) lives hand-to-mouth with her four children in a run down terraced house in North London, and from 1977 to 1979 is terrorised by a malicious ghost who goes as far as to possess the youngest daughter Janet (an excellent Madison Wolfe). Though there are plenty of witnesses, some experts suspect a hoax; with the church agreeing to help out if their "agents" Ed and Lorraine Warren can confirm the ghost is real.
![A scene from the movie, The Conjuring 2.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/THK644YITT4SIILSQVQGGQ4N7A.jpg?auth=7f3abf951da40e6cfd006b7015ea83b6301f4c049e749bb45d5bc019bf83cdde&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
Glossy and preppy Lorraine and Ed descend on a grey, wet London - and not a moment too soon. James Wan already has us rattled with his masterful sense of suspense and horror. It's old-school and slow-building, takes place in the dark and begins with complete silence, before noises and scary music swell, leading to terrifying appearances by the ghost, which has you jumping in your seat.