The latest tale involving the real-life paranormal investigator couple is a handsomely made, if often overly self-serious, addition to the popular franchise
As Warner Brothers still tries to repair the ungodly mess that is the DC cinematic universe (a scrappy hack job of false starts, recasts, cursed sets and confusing timelines), the studio has strangely found more sustained success and structural consistency with another interlinked set of movies from a genre not traditionally associated with this form of brash expansion. With The Conjuring franchise, Warners has turned a sleeper hit into a series of seven and a half films over eight years, totalling almost $2bn at the global box office, unprecedented for the horror genre and as creaky as the films might have gotten, it’s an impressive and revealing case study on how to turn very little into a lot.
Related: A Quiet Place Part II review – Emily Blunt horror is something to scream about
