Movie Review- The Conjuring

Theatrical Release Poster

The plot of the movie The Conjuring deals with events that took place in Rhode Island in the early 1970's in the home of Carolyn and Roger Perron. Mr. and Mrs. Perron along with their 5 daughters were terrorized to the point that Ed and Lorraine Warren (of Amityville Horror fame) were called in. 

The beginning portion of the movie outlines those hauntings and the subsequent investigation by the Warrens.  This was the most believable and enjoyable part of the movie.  It was full of suspense, the typical shots where everything is quiet and you just know something will be popping out or showing up in a mirror without notice. I'd have to say the most chilling moment in the movie was a scene where Christine, one of the daughters, has her foot pulled by an unseen entity.  She wakes her sister Nancy who she shares the room with and tells Nancy she sees a man standing by the door.  Nancy goes to the door to investigate and sees nothing though Christine keeps saying there's a man there.  The door eventually slams shut. It's scenes like this that really freak a person out.  You've either experienced something similar or have heard stories.  Because the scene is so simple and you don't actually see the man, your imagination fills in the gaps.  Believe me, my imagination scares me more than anything Hollywood does to spell things out.  And therein lies my big complaint about this movie:  Hollywood. 

Apparently, demons sell movie tickets and bring in TV ratings because that seems to be what all the paranormal based shows and movies are about now.  It's old.  I've seen the levitating people, I've seen the people flying around a room, taking on demonic appearances, Holy Water being sprayed and crucifixes.  I've heard the Rite of Exorcism so many times on TV I think I can recite it myself without it in front of me.  It's like the boy who cried wolf.  Hearing how every haunting is demonic desensitizes you to it.  "Oh, that guy got possessed? Yeah, been there done that AND saw the reruns."  So while the first half of the movie entertained and kept me in suspense, the last bits made me laugh.  In fact, the 3 of us who went together who all investigate the paranormal, laughed.  And that's a shame, because the events that happened in the movie at the end could have possibly actually happened to that family and Hollywood cheapened it.

So to sum it up, the first half was great- lots of scares, suspense and a peek into old investigation techniques.  The last half- way too exaggerated leaning towards unbelievable.  So Hollywood, if you're listening and you're thinking of doing another Warren investigation turned movie, stick with the truth and don't over dramatize.  Trust me when I say the actual events are scary all on their own- scarier than anything you make up because they happened.

Overall, if you enjoy scarey movies, I'd recommend seeing this one in theaters.  As a paranormal investigator, I'd give it 7 out of 10 stars.  My daughter (who ended up sleeping in my room after seeing it) and her friend (who cried) would probably say as a regular Joe, it's more like 8 out of 10, maybe 9.  So go see it and let me know what you think.

Shadow People- A Growing Phenomena

You're watching TV and suddenly catch something out of the corner of your eye.  You turn your head to look and see a shadowy figure dart quickly around a corner or through a wall.  Or you wake up in the middle of the night and see a figure darker than night staring at you and you're gripped with fear.  These are just a couple of scenarios people report of visits from "shadow people".

What are shadow people? By definition, they are supernatural humanoid figures that are described as being blacker than night with quick jerky movements and the ability to quickly disappear through walls, around corners or into mirrors.  Some are described as having red eyes though many have no facial features at all.  Some believe that shadow people are simply ghosts, however, there is a distinct difference between the two.  Apparitions that are seen tend to be describe as wispy forms and many have describable details such as facial features and clothing.  Shadow people have no discernible features or details.

For years, most encounters with shadow people involved seeing them out the the corner of the eye.  The encounters were brief with the entities disappearing quickly- making some question what they had actually seen.  Now encounters are starting to include more direct sightings with people viewing them full on in front of them and for longer periods of time.  In 2012, sightings of shadow people was one of the most reported paranormal phenomena.

I've had my own run-ins with these entities.  Approximately 14 years ago, I was regularly seeing figures out of the corner of my eye looking around corners at me.  As I would notice movement in my peripheral vision, I would quickly turn my head and see a dark form pull back behind the wall. After mentioning the sightings to my mother, I learned that my father was witnessing the same thing in the same areas of the house that I was. 

October 2010 I had another encounter with a shadow figure, this one more frightening.  I was taking my daughter and a couple of her friends out on the Gettysburg Battlefield for some ghost hunting.  We went to the tower at Culp's Hill.  While we were sitting on the steps of the tower platform, we heard footsteps on the tower.  At the time, there were no other cars or people in the area.  I climbed up 2 flights of steps on the tower and sat quietly listening.  There was no other noise heard.  At this point, the girls were feeling uncomfortable as was I.  We opted to head out.  As we made our way across the road to our parked vehicle, I felt someone watching us and turned to look behind us.  There I saw a shadow figure standing on the platform of the tower.  We kept walking to the van, and I turned and looked again and saw the figure had moved closer. I unlocked the van doors, but as everyone went to open the doors, they locked again.  It took 3 tries before we were able to open the doors and get into the car.  The encounter left me rattled.

So what are these things? There are many theories about what they might be.  Some think they could be astral bodies or spiritual bodies of people  having out of body experiences.  Others think they could be time travelers, aliens or inter-dimensional beings.  Some argue that they're dark beings or demons and still others claim that they are guardian angels.  In my own experiences, I felt apprehension and fear, but I'm not quick to say they're evil.  I simply do not know.

Have you had your own experiences with shadow people? I'm compiling stories of this phenomena and would welcome you to email me your stories at investigations@gettysburgghosts.net

Stay tuned for information regarding another shadow figure known as "The Hat Man"