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James Wan is the mastermind behind some of the most terrifying films of the past few years. Not only did he create the gory Saw franchise, but he also helmed Insidious and the upcoming sequel Insidious 2.
His latest film, The Conjuring, may be the scariest yet. It harkens back to the horror movies of the past, with its suspenseful storytelling and terrifying visuals.
Based on a true story, The Conjuring follows a married couple, Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga), who investigate strange paranormal occurrences in the ’70s and ’80s. They seek to help a family rid their old farmhouse of a demon spirit.
It turns out that Wan may be able to make some of the most terrifying films on the big screen, but that he’s not as brave as the demon hunters portrayed in his movies.
“I squirm, I slide under my chair,” he tells The Hollywood Reporter. “I’m very squeamish, so if there’s something pretty hardcore on the screen, I can’t watch it.”
There will most likely be plenty of people sliding under their chairs in the theaters when The Conjuring opens this Friday.
“This one worked on the page. The pacing was dynamite,” says Ron Livingston, who plays the father of the haunted family. “There’s a little roller-coaster ride to get the audience going, and then it settles in to kind of a slow build.”
For Farmiga, she found herself fascinated by the real-life story of the Warrens, who claimed to have investigated more than 10,000 hauntings during their career.
“I was so smitten with them as a couple,” she says.
It turns out that Farmiga decided to be a part of Wan’s film after Wilson, who had worked with Wan on Insidious, vouched for the Australian director.
“You said he was a toe-walker,” she says to Wilson during the interview with THR. “And I looked up toe-walking and it’s apparently a sign of wisdom.”
“Oh, he’s gonna hate that,” says Wilson with a laugh.
The Conjuring, from New Line and Warner Bros., opens in theaters on July 19.
E-mail: Rebecca.Ford@THR.com
Twitter: @Beccamford
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