Interview: Horror master James Wan tells us all about The Conjuring 2

If James Wan has a son, it wouldn’t come as a shock if he were christened James Wan 2. Or maybe just 2. The creator of the Saw franchise, director of both Insidious movies, as well as Furious 7, and now the follow-up to 2013’s massive horror hit The Conjuring – inevitably titled The Conjuring 2 – Wan is a man for whom one just never seems to be enough!
That said, the Malaysian-born Australian film director explains that his latest effort might be his first true sequel.
“Insidious 2 just felt like Part B of a movie I never got to finish – the first one could have finished with a screen saying ‘To be continued next week’. And though the Saw franchise is long, I was a lot more removed from that. The reason I didn’t direct any of the Saw sequels was because I didn’t think there was anything new I’d be saying, and I didn’t want to do just the same shit over again. Ultimately, once we found the story of Enfield, I realised I could make a movie that was different from the first one – and that got me excited.”
Ah, the Enfield Poltergeist! The real-life basis of The Conjuring 2, is one of the most discussed paranormal cases in British history. A single mother and her four children claim to have been terrorised by spirits at their home in the London borough; the heroes of the first Conjuring instalment, famed demonologists Lorraine and Ed Warren – again played by Vera Farmiga and frequent Wan collaborator Patrick Wilson – are called in to help out.
Being both naturally sceptical and an atheist, I probably shouldn’t cast judgement – but does James buy the the Hodgson family’s story?
“Well, I believe that they believe it!” he laughs, with an infectious enthusiasm, entirely unexpected from a horror master. “I keep reminding people that I’m not making fucking documentaries; I’m making an outright, entertaining movie, with these events as my basis. They’re told from a very subjective point of view, and if you have a hard time buying that then perhaps a documentary is what you’re looking for. It’s down to me as a filmmaker to make you care about the characters. It shouldn’t matter whether you truly believe – if I’ve done my job, you should come along for the ride regardless.”
At the same time, with these real-life events at the heart of the story, there’s a limit to how far his own narrative can stray.
“I have a larger-than-life outlook when it comes to the genre,” he grins. “I like going a bit out there, with weird creatures from different dimensions – essentially because it’s just a bit of fun. But I can’t do that in the Conjuring world. Because it’s based on real characters, and actually-reported events, if I push it too far I’ll break it, and the audience will realise it doesn’t feel authentic. It’s something I’m very conscious of, that fine line where I want to push it – but have to hold myself back.”
If that is challenging, then goodness knows how it felt for Madison Wolfe, the 13-year-old girl charged with portraying the possessed child Janet. To call her role pivotal would be an understatement, but her performance is phenomenal.
“Madison is a revelation,” James agrees. “The whole movie hinges around how you feel towards her character, and she has to carry so much of the film. But she rides this wave on nuances, from an innocent schoolgirl to being besieged by this entity. For an actor of that age to understand what it takes to do that is pretty incredible. But she’s so devoted to her craft; when she came to meet with us, she wore a wig, contact lenses, and spent the entire meeting speaking to us in an English accent – I almost feel I shouldn’t give away that she’s from Louisiana (laughs)!”
Wan himself is equally devoted to his craft. One of the things that’s seen him rise to the top of the horror genre is a commitment to eschewing the ‘found footage’, queasy cam, lo-fi drivel that’s become de rigueur, instead embracing an impressively stylised form more readily associated with, well, ‘real’ films.
“My favourite ‘70s horror films – The Exorcist, The Shining, The Changeling, films like that – were made by studios, with real money and real production values; they didn’t thumb their nose at that, as they seem to today. I wanted to return horror filmmaking to the days where it got a lot more respect. That’s why even Saw – while reviewers might like to cast it as some crazy MTV-type film – actually had a lot of shots in a very classicist style.”
One of James’ next assignments is to bring that flair to the DC Universe, as he takes the reins on Aquaman. There’s also the prospect of a Mortal Kombat reboot, to which he’s attached as a producer. And while, like wandering the haunted house in Enfield, there’s no telling what might be around the corner, it’s likely to be good. “I work hard on all my movies,” he chuckles. “I don’t make any of them lying down!”