by Stefan Pape
Horror fans, get ready to claim bragging rights. Our exclusive first-look programme The Preview Room kicks off this month, and the first film we’re giving you the chance to see before everyone else is the highly anticipated horror flick The Conjuring 2.
James Wan's The Conjuring shocked, frightened and compelled audiences back in 2013, and now you can see the sequel three days before the rest of the country, on June 10. It’s showing at all of our venues, so cancel your plans and get ready to re-enter the catastrophic lives of the Warren family, headed by Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) and Ed (Patrick Wilson). The two paranormal investigators have now turned their attentions to North London, this time to assist – and save – a single mother and her four young children.
Horror fans, get ready to claim bragging rights. Our exclusive first-look programme The Preview Room kicks off this month, and the first film we’re giving you the chance to see before everyone else is the highly anticipated horror flick The Conjuring 2.
James Wan's The Conjuring shocked, frightened and compelled audiences back in 2013, and now you can see the sequel three days before the rest of the country, on June 10. It’s showing at all of our venues, so cancel your plans and get ready to re-enter the catastrophic lives of the Warren family, headed by Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) and Ed (Patrick Wilson). The two paranormal investigators have now turned their attentions to North London, this time to assist – and save – a single mother and her four young children.
Playing up affectionately to the tropes of the archetypal ghost story, in this particular tale (based, terrifyingly, on real events) we're dealing with malevolent, malicious spirits antagonising a vulnerable family – a tale that only recently spawned the television series The Enfield Haunting. However, this particular narrative is demanding of a big screen showing, where the communal experience of being scared witless heightens the intensity and intensifies the big screen experience.
Too often the news of a sequel can be met with an immediate rolling of the eyes, but given the preceding endeavour made for such a bloodcurdling watch, it's impossible to not be excited about returning to this particular world, particularly with Wan back at the helm. The director reportedly turned down a substantial, life-altering amount of money to direct Fast 8, just so he could remain attached to the Warren family.
With that level of commitment, it points to a title that is all but set to terrorise the viewers in a similar vein to how we see the demons attack our human protagonists – which is a far more appealing prospect than it may sound. Perhaps a level of comfort derives from the fact a genuine priest blessed the set on the very first day of the film's shoot. No? Us neither.
Let’s be honest: the only genuinely comforting thing about seeing The Conjuring 2 is knowing that through The Preview Room, you'll be able to see this film before anyone else, which has more benefits than simply feeling superior. Take a friend or a date to see it again after it’s released on June 13 and, with the knowledge of where the next scare is coming from, you can anticipate it, and act nonplussed when it arrives. Everybody will think you're brave and fearless, unaware that just three days earlier you were screaming louder than the demons.
Too often the news of a sequel can be met with an immediate rolling of the eyes, but given the preceding endeavour made for such a bloodcurdling watch, it's impossible to not be excited about returning to this particular world, particularly with Wan back at the helm. The director reportedly turned down a substantial, life-altering amount of money to direct Fast 8, just so he could remain attached to the Warren family.
With that level of commitment, it points to a title that is all but set to terrorise the viewers in a similar vein to how we see the demons attack our human protagonists – which is a far more appealing prospect than it may sound. Perhaps a level of comfort derives from the fact a genuine priest blessed the set on the very first day of the film's shoot. No? Us neither.
Let’s be honest: the only genuinely comforting thing about seeing The Conjuring 2 is knowing that through The Preview Room, you'll be able to see this film before anyone else, which has more benefits than simply feeling superior. Take a friend or a date to see it again after it’s released on June 13 and, with the knowledge of where the next scare is coming from, you can anticipate it, and act nonplussed when it arrives. Everybody will think you're brave and fearless, unaware that just three days earlier you were screaming louder than the demons.
