Conjurer (2008) User Reviews

Wonderful and SCARY!!

[reddragonman1 · 6/10 · 13 November 2007]

I saw this movie at a screening yesterday at the fox theater and I gotta say...WOW! this was a very good movie, it begins with a man and his pregnant wife discovering that she's had a miscarriage. Cut to a year later they buy a house out in woods with a cabin. The wife's brother(John Schinder)helps them buy the house. Sure enough there's something wrong with this cabin and strange things start happening, the cabin is haunted by the ghost of an old witch or Conjurer. This movie starts off a little slow but has bone chillingly scary moments, In my opinion it ranks right up there with movies such as Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, Halloween etc. It really does not feel like a low budget movie and definitely show been shown to a nationwide audience. It was filmed in Carrollton GA, and Whiteburg GA, I live in carrollton and saw them film a scene in the town square. anyway, really good movie you owe it to yourself to see it if you can.

Another cabin in the woods...

[paul_haakonsen · 5/10 · 19 November 2016]

"Conjurer" didn't strike me as a movie that would turn out to be overly impressive, given the somewhat generic cover of the movie. However, covers can be deceiving as we all know, so I still decided to give it a chance and sat down to watch it.

I must say that I was actually entertained by the storyline portrayed in "Conjurer", as it turned out to be interesting enough. And it also had some good acting performances to help the movie along as well.

The story in "Conjurer" is about Shawn Burnett (played by Andrew Bowen) and Helen Burnette (played by Maxine Bahns) whom move to a quiet, idyllic rural house after having lost a child during pregnancy. This homestead was supposed to be a place of recovery and rest, but it turns out that there is something ancient and terrible residing on these lands.

It was also the fact that the characters in the movie were well-detailed and fleshed out on the screen that helped added depth to the storyline.

There is a good amount of creepy moments throughout the course of the movie, but nothing that really climaxes into something downright scary or disturbing. A feat which the movie needed.

The acting in "Conjurer" was good, and especially Andrew Bowen stood out here with his performance. I am not overly familiar with his work, but he did a great job in "Conjurer". Maxine Bahns also did hold her own quite well.

The special effects in the movie were adequate. Don't expect a lot of special effects, and don't expect them to be a Hollywood galore of impressive CGI and visual effects. The effects in "Conjurer" worked well enough for their intended purposes.

However, for a horror / thriller movie then "Conjurer" turned out to be a generic one. It didn't really bring anything new to the genre, and everything here had essentially been seen before.

"Conjurer" scores a mediocre five out of ten stars rating from me.

Conjurer

[Scarecrow-88 · 5/10 · 18 April 2009]

Professional photographic artist Shawn and his wife Helen relocate to a farmhouse in the country outside New York City after a failed pregnancy. A cabin a few feet away very well could be haunted by the spirit of a witch who curses those attempting to get pregnant out of revenge for her own child's murder at the hands of her husband. Shawn is tormented by her presence and a black crow which is always around to bother him. Shawn's thumb was stuck by a tooth in the cabin, an infection has set in, and is getting worse. Soon he begins investigating the history of the cabin and the witch. Is he actually experiencing these events or are they a figment of his imagination? The film establishes the possibility that he's a victim of inherited paranoid schizophrenia..his father murdered his mother then committed suicide, so the possibility is there that he himself suffers such a mental illness. This could pose a threat to his wife, who has become pregnant again.

I thought the work of Andrew Bowen and Maxene Bahns as the Burnetts was quite solid, with developed characters you care about, and I appreciated the attempt to slowly build a spooky atmospheric story about the possible witch's ghost who lives in a creepy cabin, but for some reason, the film never quite satisfied me. Maybe it was because it was so obvious. It was rather predictable as well, even the twist at the end, it's so calculated in such a way, that you see the results before they happen. Or, at least I did, and I'm as dense as they come. The psychological angle is blatantly established to set up the lingering possibility of his suffering a mental disorder, but you always wonder if what he is experiencing is true. John Schneider has a supporting role as Helen's big brother, Frank Higgins, a construction supervisor always at odds with Shawn over the idea of leaving the country home out of worry that the witch will take their baby. Frank plans on using land given to Helen to build houses on, providing them with the temporary residence until he finished their new home. What started out as a refreshing change for the couple slowly deteriorates as Shawn becomes overwhelmed with the legend surrounding the cabin..that, and his neighbor, Fulton Moss(Brett Rice)fuels his paranoia with information regarding the witch and how she has effected his pregnant cow. I think those accustomed with films such as this already know that it will not end well for Shawn either way..if he's imagining everything, he's a nutcase, but if he's right, his wife's in danger. The result won't surprise those who have seen their share of these kinds of movies. The film is seen through the point-of-view of Shawn, so we are part of his torment, and growing paranoia. We see the occurrences in the cabin, and the witch that pops up from time to time, so the viewer is experiencing what he does. We can sympathize because everyone considers him a nuisance with suspicious behavioral problems. But, the film choreographs it in such a way that as the story plays out, you aren't shocked or surprised..and that's the rub, they obviously want to shock you with how the story unfolds, yet the result doesn't. A nice try, nonetheless..call it average of it's type, one that won't remain with you very long after watching it.

Conjurer - It wishes

[laraemeadows · 1/10 · 19 June 2008]

Conjurer is about how history returns to haunt even the unsuspecting. Conjurer reaches for brilliance occasionally but shallow acting, appalling writing and cataclysmal camera work doom Conjurer to a gruesome death. I'm going to do my best to stay awake while I write this review for you but I even as I type these words I'm dozz… Shawn Burnett (Andrew Bowen) and his wife Helen (Maxine Bahns) move to the country after a miscarriage devastates Helen. There is an empty cabin in the back yard when they move in which is the subject of local legend. Shawn begins obsessing over the cabin, the witch-lady who used to live there and the potential danger to him and his wife. Shawn and Hele…….. Sorry, I feel asleep just then.

Conjurer is like watching a farmer roll his cart to market through frozen molasses up a hill, and when he arrives, everyone has gone home. Horror or thriller movies can be slow moving, until the pay off in the end, which makes the entire movie worth the audience's patience and attention. Conjurer requires an all volunteer audience because there ain't no one getting' paid. *Yawn* The story ends at pretty much the same place it began, whattheheckland. The characters don't develop, the ending is unclear, and there is only enough plot for fifteen minutes.

The characters, especially Helen and her brother Frank Higgins (John Schneider) are confusing and loathsome. We watch as ……… Damn, it isn't any easier to stay awake when writing about Conjurer than it was to watch it. Helen swung from bitchy to attentive. Frank swung from generous to greedy. Both characters seem unable to clearly define themselves.

Andrew Bowen is convincing as a loving husband who believes wild stories. I often found myself not sleepy when he was in scene. He pulls Shawn off adequately enough that if the script were better, he might be able to compensate for the egregious attempts at acting by other actors in the movie.

Whenever Maxine Bahns came on screen, the teeth in my mouth that had dental work began to throb. She couldn't portray loving, sad, upset, scary, or shot convincingly. If I had to judge strictly on her portrayal of Helen in Conjurer, I am not convinced she could emote sincerely if someone was ripping the legs of her kitten.

Ken Blakely, the cinematographer has a fantastic understanding of light and framing, so when the camera is not moving, Conjurer is beautiful. There are lovely visuals where light gives a strong presence of mood. Sadly, when Blakey moves the camera he downright tries too hard. I can tell he is trying to figure out the best angle to convey mood but the only thing I felt was nausea.

The one part of the whole movie I was in love with was the when Shawn decides to take the status of the crow into his own hands. By the time he does, the entire audience had been having the same feeling for about an hour.

Any audience member who dares to watch Conjurer should be wary their heart will stop pumping because it fell asleep. I'm going to take a nap now; talking about Conjurer has made me sleepy.

The Real Review

[Jason-Paradiso · 1/10 · 1 November 2013]

**Intro**

I was surprised when I looked at the Rating was 4.7 and the Reviews were 8's and above. So i figured I should check this out. I read that it was an Indie film but still held up fairly well. I just saw "The Conjuring" (Excellent) that's how I ran across this. So I was thinking that it might be something like that. ha ha..=) Not Even Close.

**The Review With No Spoilers**

I'm honestly not sure what movie the other reviewers saw that made them rank this movie so high.. because this movie is so utterly Boring!! it was more of a Drama than anything. The story moves so slow! The witch stuff barely peeks your interest because there is little suspense if any. I paused the movie at an hour and 10 minutes to realize Nothing has happened yet.. (im not even kidding) There is a small scene at the end that you have been waiting for the whole movie but its over before you know it and it really wasn't even that good. They even try throwing a twist to make the movie seem better than it really was but then they throw in a 2nd twist and end the movie. the end is so stupid and very anti climatic.. Don't waste your time. read my review with the spoilers and you'll know exactly how dumb the movie is.

***The Spoilers*** Worth Reading if you don't want to see this horrible movie.

Sean and his wife Helen have a miscarriage that puts them in a bad financial position. Her brother helps them out and has a Temporary home for them to stay in. - there are more details but not there not important.. They buy the house from a man who needs to help his mom with medical bills.. so by this point it's safe to assume the house Haunted?? No sadly the small Cabin on there property is Haunted.. a witch died and cursed the property.. yes very exciting stuff. he has a cut on his thumb that doesn't heal. there is a single crow that hangs out around there house and eats there garbage.. the crow did manage to give the wife a ring that she puts on as soon as he drops it. but don't worry that part wont develop into anything either.. there are some scenes with the neighbor that they didn't tie up at the end. the dog dies by the crow.. the dogs not brought up after he kills the crow. its left at "have you seen the dog?".. "no".. so here is where the Twist comes in. they try to tie the whole thing by saying Sean is Crazy and made up all the events with the Witch. and he goes away to the crazy house. he calls her and is leaving a message. the movie ends by her listening to the message and she looks at the camera very evil... so she must be the witch.. Like WHAT? so i guess now he is not crazy and that whole part is a waste of time.

***The Summary***

by the end of the movie. his thumb is healed, the Dogs death is never brought up, The ring the crow gives Helen is never talked about. he finds a jar in the beginning with teeth in it.. never really goes anywhere. They never talk to the neighbor to confirm his story or if he is even real. the man they bought the house from sold the house to pay for his moms medical bills but in the end of the movie shes been dead the whole time.. they throw a twist in the movie to say he is crazy but end they the movie on the witch note so he is not crazy..ha ha. this movie is just plain BAD and VERY boring and doesn't make much sense when you tie the story together. Do yourself the favor and just don't watch it.

Take Care Folks. The Heartless Critic

Bland, boring and features very little good moments

[slayrrr666 · 3/10 · 15 July 2009]

"Conjurer" is an utterly poor and hardly worthwhile affair.

**SPOILERS**

A year after a miscarriage, Shawn, (Andrew Bowen) and Helen Burnett, (Maxine Bahns) move out to the countryside with Frank Higgins, (John Schneider) and Marlin Dryer, (Tom Nowicki) who tells them he's going to let them live in a small house while he finishes their new home. Attempting to get settled, he begins to think he's the target of something as whenever he goes near a dilapidated shack on the grounds something terrible happens. Eventually learning of an old story about the first owner who had cursed the cabin against those who would move in, he realizes the connection between the story and the events that have transpired to him and he tries to convince others of the dangers on the house before the deadly curse that's still alive takes them all out.

The Good News: There wasn't much to this one that worked. One of the main issues is that there's some rather good haunting scenes, even though most of them are incredibly short. The main early scenes out in the cabin, first when he discovers the broken fragments on the floor that results in the thumb accident that plays a big role in the rest of the film and the second one where the hallucinatory snakes and maggots are shown to be involved despite not appearing later, are fine at building up a small level of mystery about the location, and a later scene where smashed and scattered fragments of something would've been a blast had it actually done something with them but it's still a pretty creepy scene. The witch burning vision during the thunderstorm comes the closest to working well due to the freaky vision and the set-up with the storm, but again is never capitalized upon. Even other potentially fun scenes, like the faulty projector or the flashing lights in the house in the distance, could've been good and at best, tend to make for a nice atmosphere. There's also a fairly lengthy scene following a foot-chase through the woods against an unknown victim is fairly good, and the finale is probably the best part of the film. With the haunting in the cabin turning into an armed chase through the darkened house with plenty of surprises to pop out of nowhere, it's fairly entertaining and certainly makes for some adrenaline to flow through the film, and with a somewhat original twist to occur certainly helps. The only other part that actually works is the back-story, which like most good ghost stories is rooted in legend and is somewhat chilling, providing the perfect basis on which to hang a horror film. These here are all that really work for this one.

The Bad News: There was some pretty big problems for this one. One of the biggest issues, as it's the one that takes up the most amount of time, is the film's rather horror-less feel to it. It's very rarely when the film feels like a horror film, which is most of the good parts, which leaves the rest of the time spent on a lot of themes or ideas that aren't very scary or horrifying. Frankly, the idea of watching them argue over what to paint a specific room in the house or how the rest of the family is reacting to his stories aren't that interesting, and when the idea of him slowly going certifiably-insane becomes a focal point halfway through with his repeatedly unsubstantiated claims of funny business occurring in the cabin, not only does it not be scary but it really becomes irritating and annoying when it keeps playing the same card over and over again. This leads the film into an incredibly dull-like feeling and makes for some really boring times within the film, especially during the ending when it somewhat peters out instead of building up to a grand finale. That's another problem with the film, which is it's weak and entirely confusing finale. This one doesn't even let you know it's over until the credits begin rolling, which is bad enough, but the visuals and the story told are just utterly confusing and don't mesh at all. This one ends up feeling really lame when it's all over and doesn't leave much of a positive effect when it's over. Another big problem is the film's censored feel, which never sits well in a film. The first half of the film presents the wife as constantly horny and wanting some action, yet it never shows it and cuts away just before, and it has no problem later on showing her changing while wearing nothing but a bra, which is a total tease. There's also the lack of violence here, which really doesn't deserve it and would've added something fun to the film. The last flaw is the film's incredibly short action scenes. No matter how fun they are, the fact that the longest one lasts all of a minute, and that's pushing it to the extreme, simply shows that this one is not at all concerned with keeping the film moving along, which is a big problem as some of them had the potential to really stand-out, yet they're not given the time to do so. These here are the film's flaws.

The Final Verdict: Even though it may seem there's some good stuff here, most of it's hardly worth the effort and is overtaken by the flaws. Really only see this one if you're into the style of this one or a fan of the creative side, otherwise this one will have the flaws more apparent than those who won't matter.

Rated PG-13:Language and Violence

Pretty good indie flick

[laffactory · 7/10 · 11 November 2008]

This is actually a pretty good little indie flick. Yeah there's nothing revelatory or terribly unique about the story framework but they didn't go down the gore road and attempted something of a throwback with creepiness instead of blood, something I can appreciate. I was actually pretty surprised. If you need something scary to happen right away then forget it...better watch something else. This is a gradual, slow burn kind of pacing that I didn't mind. I also didn't really know where the story was going and the ending caught me off guard with a psychological twist that was different. And different is good any day over same old shock or gore or Asian retread.

poorest thing

[insomja · 1/10 · 27 September 2009]

cant believe anyone gives more than 2 stars. Waste of time to write more. just filter reviews to "hated it" and y'll be informed. OK, they want 10 lines. Poor acting and dialogs, instead of the dog and crow perhaps. Poor plot, max. 5 minutes could be worth watching if the rest would not be so dumb. set not too bad, if their's a good story. Really no need to say more about this whats worth to add here. You'll not see a new or even good told story. You'll not see good or interesting pictures. Just have a walk in y'r area or take a bike ride through field and forest around y'r place y'll enjoy much better than watch this. It even did not work if you want to watch it why y can't sleep. It so stupid that you are angry about yourself watching it and want to smash something. I'm pretty sure the good reviews are paid by the producers of this waste of celluloid.

Not bad. Not bad at all

[skay_baltimore · 6/10 · 20 December 2011]

I was a bit skeptical when I saw the 4.8 IMDb rating. But I watched it with an open mind, and found this film to be quite engaging. There was a good balance of creepiness, story line, decent acting, and suspense. Hey...it even had a Willie Nelson look-alike. What more could you want in a film to watch before going to bed? I really couldn't find anything to criticize about this movie. It's not spectacular, but I've seen a LOT worse. There were no blatant plot holes, the pace, while a bit slow, was more than adequate. And the film worked without silly gore or gratuitous sex, violence, or nudity. (Yeah...I know...what were they thinking, right?) But seriously...this was a well done film that was edgy and worth the watch if you enjoy smart suspenseful ghost movies.

just awful

[hrasbjoern · 1/10 · 1 October 2008]

After viewing some of the comments here i decided to actually watch this movie, even though i was pretty much convinced that it was a waste of time. Well, my gut was right... basically I was bored during the whole movie. The acting was horrible, especially from Andrew Bowen. The plot had been done much better before, the effects was yet again horrible and I cant find a single thing from the movie that i enjoyed except from Maxine Bahns looks. The budget of this movie must have been a joke and how the people behind it could convince anyone actually make it is beyond my mind

How this movie is above a rating of 1 inhere blows my mind. utterly and complete waste of time

Had to comment on horror vs ghost

[lngrnzzz · 9/10 · 17 October 2008]

This just played at the Illinois International Film Festival and won Best Horror Film. I wanted to see it because ghost stories are my favorite genre and I read the story background so it seemed something I would definitely like. When I read here about it winning Best Horror Film at the other film festival and not really being a horror film I had to agree and wanted to write a comment about what others are probably expecting and not getting. This is not a horror movie with a bit of supernatural, it's a supernatural story with a bit of horror. Horror today means blood and guts and splatter and gore and screaming and yelling and this has none of that. Good ghost stories always are slower paced with unsettling creepy touches that can be moody and Gothic and spooky. I'm not a fan of certain genres so I'm not going to watch them and then get angry that I didn't like it and found it boring. So here's a tip to splatter fans and gorehounds >> AVOID THIS MOVIE << to the rest of you who like slower paced quality spooky movies, this is really worth watching. It's not great, but it's a nice surprise. I'm giving it nine stars because I appreciate the effort to do something that fans like me will enjoy and call attention to it for others of like mind. BTW if you're a ghost fan make sure and check out THE ORPHANAGE and don't be scared off by the subtitles!!!!!!

Spooky and atmospheric

[jmbovan-47-160173 · 6/10 · 30 March 2020]

Effective "ghost" story that questions what is happening. Decent production, adequate acting with the screen play somewhat lacking in lines. Overall effective for a fun creepy spooky night.

Like watching paint dry. Haunted paint.

[Obliviax · 2/10 · 8 November 2008]

"Conjurer" is, in its own way, a triumph. It's difficult to find such an uncompromisingly boring film in any genre, much less horror. Sure, the film relies on all the same tropes as 99.9% of the "haunted area" pieces, but "Conjurer" really shines in its ability to cause fits of uncontrollable laughter and/or comas.

Should you ever find yourself in the mood for a horror film that includes such terrifying elements as the discussion of paint swatches, the planting of cabbages, and healthy trees in broad daylight, "Conjurer" is just what you need.

Alternately, you could read an issue of "Better Homes & Gardens".

Oh god... another one that fails to deliver

[ulricjoh · 1/10 · 24 September 2008]

I saw this movie last night, hoping for something good - unfortunately, it didn't deliver.

The movie has an almost stock standard plot - 2 30-something people move to a new area; "spooky" things are around; stories of haunted houses /garden sheds are being spread by certain people.

I have been racking my memory, to try & remember what this movie reminds me of (there was a movie I saw a few years back that was almost the same - a person has paranoid schizophrenia & imagines a lot of the horrors that are seen on the screen - none of which are true - until the end).

This movie offers nothing new; it definitely does not deserve the high ratings from the first two viewers, hence, I have rated it as a 1-star. The acting from the leads is abysmal and almost wooden in some sections.

There are many movies out there worth watching - unfortunately, this is not one of them. Save your money, save your time, go & hire or watch something else.

Unreal Estate...

[azathothpwiggins · 2 November 2021]

A young couple moves into an old farmhouse a year after losing their unborn child. Strange, unexplained events take place, seemingly having to do with an abandoned cabin on the property.

CONJURER is an exceptional supernatural thriller. Or, perhaps it's something else. It could either be about a curse / occult conspiracy, or a man driven by schizophrenic delusions. The filmmakers have done a fantastic job of balancing dark, magical images with paranoid thinking and less-than-sane reactions from the protagonist (Andrew Bowen).

We're never quite sure if he's being tormented by a sinister entity, or simply breaking away from reality. Though the epilogue hints at a possible answer, it's sort of left to interpretation. This movie keeps us guessing throughout...

Avoid, avoid, avoid!

[jjchvz · 1/10 · 4 July 2010]

I Don't'T KNOW WHO WROTE ALL THESE REVIEWS, BUT THEY WERE WRONG. I AM JUST AN AVERAGE VIEWER, but this is a waste of time. Please believe me, I often rely on this site to decide if a movie is worth watching. This film however has been tainted by people who obviosly have an interest in the movie.

The comments are lies. Piece of crap. Please do not waste your time. I never write reviews, but I thought that the comments were so misleading that I had to spare someone else the ordeal of sitting through this piece of crap. While the actors were good, the story was so overdone. Please believe me.

I hope you heed this warning. Don't waste your time.

My very first review about a very worst horror movie

[pkravi_kumar · 1/10 · 1 October 2008]

Hi, I used to check IMDb for Movie reviews and never tried to comment or review about any movie. But, after seeing this movie "Conjurer" i registered with IMDb to write the review.

"This is the worst horror movie I have ever seen". Any Horror Movie cannot be this much worst.

I did waste more than one hour, expecting to happen something creepy (I wish I could get back). I think, the movie director and producer have written the first two reviews stating High rating.

Lots of other creepy movies you can find in store, don't waste time as i did.

Nothing new in the genre. Still watchable.

[kewos · 6/10 · 21 January 2009]

I will be brief in this one. This is a classic supernatural, ghost-spirit-spell story movie. And that's all. You won't see anything new, the typical twist at the end is not the sixth sense but it's just normal. Good points: It's about more the story than to give you frightening moments. There's no blood, no gore, any unnecessary. Actually it doesn't abuse of cheap-fake frights at all (you know music in-crescendo, funny tricks with camera but finally nothing happens etc) It keeps simple. The plot is not bad but as in most of this genre movies could have been better or treat it more in depth.

I wouldn't go to theatres to watch this movie but I didn't mind to rent it. If you have the day of watching an OK movie go for it!!

Horrible!

[Dianoir · 1/10 · 17 February 2009]

This is one of the biggest pieces of crap I have ever wasted my life on! I only watched it because someone put it on, and they walked out. I have seen bad movies, but never bad enough to vocalize my opinion. I even had to verify my account to do so... I've been coming here for years. I'm so appalled I'm at a loss of words! Apparently I don't have enough lines to submit my post, so here are a few more. Bad, Horrible, Awful, Absolute Crap! None of these words do this film justice. Not that the movie industry has any integrity, but there is no way the creators could have sat through this after completion, and actually thought to themselves they did a good job. Anyone posting positive remarks is either affiliated with those making money of this garbage, or should be hung for supporting tasteless cinema. Your time is precious, save it!

very, Very, VERY S-L-O-W, old fashioned Horror story. But, with a well constructed, slow-burn atmosphere and above average acting... Blu-ray: Average A:7 V:7

[lathe-of-heaven · 7/10 · 1 December 2016]

Wow... there are a LOT of really polarized reviews here for this film. But, I can understand why. This is the classic case of a VERY slow burn, ULTRA low-key, Retro Horror film, very much like a lot of the old British Ghost Stories. You honestly either really like them or you do NOT.

That is why you see reviews here with 7 and 8 stars and comments like 'Creepy' or 'Really Scary', and yet there are also MANY that tell you that the movie is complete crap and a waste of time.

The one thing right from the start that I VERY much appreciated was that the acting was actually quite good. Even others here who have rated the film a '5' have stated as much. As I've said before in other reviews, usually that is the ONE thing that turns me off immediately with many 'Horror' films that are similar to this. Especially with very emotional situations such as this couple went through. But, thankfully, the characters never became excruciatingly hysterical or unbelievable like so many do in films like this. So, that went a long way, at least for me, in helping me like the movie.

Basically it should be pretty easy for you to decide whether you would like this movie or not. IF you do enjoy real slow, but quality old fashioned Horror films and you are NOT looking for over the top sadism or violence, and also VERY important, if you are the kind of person who can EASILY get drawn into atmospheric, slow-building, Ghost Stories that are similar to this, then there is a decent chance that you will enjoy watching this movie. BUT... and it is a HUGE BUT like Mariah Carey's... if you like your Horror films with a faster pace or more action or are easily bored, then you will definitely want to give this one a pass. I'm not saying that you won't be able to appreciate it; I'm only saying that it probably is just not your kind of Horror movie.

But, if you DO enjoy a low-key, mildly scary Horror story and you can allow yourself to get caught up in the mood and atmosphere that the film makers built quite nicely, then you should have some fun watching this...

Watch out, Hattie the Witch wants your baby

[Coventry · 3/10 · 17 February 2015]

"Conjurer" is another incredibly dumb and insignificant horror flick of which the makers didn't know exactly what they wanted to achieve. That may sound quite harsh, but it's the truth. We all know know about movies dealing with witchcraft/ghost story elements, like ancient curses and possessed building, right? You probably also know about them pseudo-intelligent thrillers where they make us wonder whether all kinds of strange occurrences are happening for real or just inside the protagonist's mentally unstable mind, right? Well, with "Conjurer", writer/director Clint Hutchinson ambitiously attempts to combine the two together, but let me assure you that they don't mix! Quite the contrary, the end result is a senseless and completely irrational film that – on top of all this - also is boring, bloodless and bad! One year after the tragic and traumatizing loss of their unborn child, artsy photographer Shawn and his wife Helen move to a big old-fashioned countryside mansion. Shawn is reluctant to move, because he's a real city boy and he particularly doesn't like being financially dependent of his intrusive brother-in-law. There's a ramshackle cabin on their property, and according to the superstitious neighbors – naturally – it's possessed by the spirit of a witch named Hattie, and she wreaks havoc on everyone who even thinks of destroying the cabin. Shawn regularly spots Hattie and a whole lot of other strange things (like a very hostile crow) on the premises, but his family thinks he just looks for an excuse to leave again. Whilst writing down this little plot synopsis, I realized that I wrote nearly the exact same lines numerous of times before for other lousy horror flicks. In other words, "Conjurer" is clichéd and derivative and doesn't feature anything to distinguish itself from the rest. Relatively many of my fellow reviewers stated that the film is full of genuine scares and atmospheric tension, but I honestly think they are either related to one of the cast or crew members or they never watched a REAL horror movie before in their lives. "Conjurer" is scare-free and slow-paced and overall second-rate

A surprisingly good American ghost story....it's about time!

[davyar · 8/10 · 13 October 2008]

I'm quite wary of American ghost stories since they always seem to have several dozen false scares, loud sound effects and music, shock for shock sake that only shows a lack of imagination and dimwitted characters doing dimwitted things. A few of the exceptions are The Sixth Sense and What Lies Beneath. Spain has the best so far with The Others and The Orphanage. Most supernatural films that dish out the shocks can't or won't attempt unsettling, eerie or creepy moments because they have no faith in the audience who will think it's not scary enough or too slow. So even though this does not have a big budget and its actors are no names, they rose to the challenge. I was genuinely surprised to find the clichés kept to the absolute minimum!!! And thank God it was not a bloody repeat of The Ring! Enough with those films that all feel cut from the same cloth!! Are there things in this story that I would have chosen to do differently? yes, several of the scenes ended with weak transitions and I think the ending raised the question on just how much into the mind a ghost bent on revenge can reach that was a bit of a puzzler. But the pacing held my interest with a good rhythm, built on the suspense well and a spooky climax. So I'm happy to write as a fan of ghost stories that this was quite good.

Quite creepy

[Catharina_Sweden · 7/10 · 11 November 2013]

Yes, we have watched this story before. A man has to save his family from a - real or imagined - supernatural threat. If you have read or watched a lot of horror stories, the plot is quite foreseeable. For instance, it was obvious when Shawn received the gun, and we got to know about his terrible childhood memory, that the history was going to repeat itself somehow. I also realized very early who the little boy really was (recognized him from the family photo).

Still, there was a doubt about what was going on until the very last scene - which is good and unusual in movies. The acting was excellent, and there were also several good scares. You learn a bit about witch lore as well - this had demanded some research for the movie-makers. All in all, I think it was one of the best movies on the witch theme, that I have ever seen!

Like watching a cockroach reproduce.

[slatromhsiloof · 1/10 · 2 November 2010]

Halfway through I pulled the DVD out of the machine, stamped on it, ground it under my heel then lit it on fire. then it proceeded to get up and try to escape into a crack in the wall. I hit it hard with a hammer a couple of times then sprayed it with a can of raid. I'll be damned if the thing didn't make it into the wall anyway. Now I'm going to have to move out of my apartment, because I'm sure its in the wall laying eggs, and my apartment will soon be overrun with copies of this DVD. I'm wondering if I should warn my neighbors, or just soak the place with petrol when I leave and toss in a road flare. I'm afraid if I warn someone they might not abandon all their possessions and a copy or two might survive, eventually ruining all existence for everyone on the planet. Might be best to call in an air strike or nuke it from orbit just to be sure.

awful!

[Zaffy-1 · 31 August 2011]

2 stars for the landscape.

This movie is really really really bad. I wonder who wrote the positive reviews? Were they relatives and friends of the cast? Or people that have never watched a thriller or a horror movie before? I thought only insomniac can give a good grade to this movie.

Acting is h-o-r-r-i-b-l-e. Especially from the male hero who has this weird permanent expression in his face, I can't understand if he smiles all the time or not.

This is film is dull. Boring. The only horror is watching it. Actually as I am writing these words it is still playing on TV behind me and I simply don't care if there is a ghost, a spirit, a daemon or a smurf in that haunted cabin.

And to be honest I wouldn't bother to write anything about it but those positive reviews were a challenge I couldn't just ignore :)