Editorials
[31 Days of Halloween] Day Twenty-Nine: James Wan’s ‘The Conjuring’
Halloween is nearly here! That means our 31 Days of Halloween is nearly at its end. Because it’s Halloween week, we’re dedicating the remaining entries to films that really go big on the scares. For our final Supernatural Spooks Tuesday, it doesn’t get much bigger than The Conjuring, a 2013 box office juggernaut. The James Wan-directed spookfest proved horror could thrive in the summer blockbuster months and launched an ever-expanding Conjuring universe filled with sequels and spinoffs.
Synopsis: In 1971, the Perron family move into a bargain-priced farmhouse fixer upper. It doesn’t take long before strange activity begins, and it escalates into a terrifying paranormal haunting that poses a serious threat to the family’s well being. They turn to paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren for help.
Key Players: Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga created two of horror’s most loveable characters in Ed and Lorraine Warren. The Perron family is played by Lili Taylor, Ron Livingston, Shanley Caswell, Hayley McFarland, Joey King, Mackenzie Foy, and Kyla Deaver. Look for the film’s composer Joseph Bishara to make an appearance as the evil entity Bathsheba. Fun trivia: Bishara also played the Lipstick-Face Demon in Insidious, proving the composer is well versed in scaring audiences.
Why It’s on the List: The Conjuring set the chilling tone right off the bat with a strong opener that introduces both the Warrens and the inhuman entities they encounter. In this case, creepy doll Annabelle. It never eases up on the scares or atmosphere either. Each and every member of the Perron family deal with their own personal paranormal encounters, from wardrobe nightmares to goosebumps-inducing games of Hide-and-Go-Clap and beyond. No matter how you feel about the real-life Warrens, Wilson and Farmiga make their on-screen counterparts insanely charming. All of this, with the retro horror vibe, makes it easy to see why this box office darling enticed viewers of all types into the world of horror.
Annabelle Returns?: The evil plaguing the Perron family home is strong, and this nightmarish scene indicates just how far-reaching it can be. Because it’s not too happy about the Warrens’ interference with its plans, it targets them through their daughter, Judy, by unleashing Annabelle. Or does it? Either way, it’s effectively spooky.
Where You Can Watch: The Conjuring is currently available on Netflix.
Editorials
‘The Vampire Lestat’ Concert Event Launches New Season With The Ultimate Expression Of Fandom
There are thousands of passionate fans decked out in gothic chic and champing at the bit like feral creatures. They’re screaming for Lestat, a legendary vampire-turned-rock star, as if the entire crowd has been glamored into submission.
The entire experience is magic, but not because some supernatural thrall has been activated. What’s going on is even more special. It’s the power of the effusive fandom that’s been authentically assembled by AMC’s sublime Immortal Universe, namely Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, now, The Vampire Lestat.
The Vampire Lestat is far from the first Anne Rice adaptation, and it’s not as if there’s been a lack of erotic vampire material for audiences to sink their teeth into. On June 2nd, during a one-night-only spectacle, New York City’s prestigious Beacon Theatre shook from Sam Reid’s bravado performance and an audience full of adoring fans who had already memorized Lestat’s songs.
It’s clear that The Vampire Lestat just hits differently than its predecessors. It’s become more than just a TV series at this point, and this opulent display of ego, swagger, and pure sex is the perfect way to premiere the new season and give back to the fans who helped make Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat such a breakout success. It’s exactly the sort of hyperbolized hedonism that would make Lestat cackle.
For all intents and purposes, AMC has successfully created the illusion that this concert/premiere is just one of the many destinations on Lestat and his band’s 54-stop tour that is simultaneously playing out on this season of television. It’s such a sophisticated and thorough level of interactive fan engagement that the audience doesn’t just understand, but also manages to accentuate through its involvement.
It’s a level of seamless synergy that’s not unlike the give-and-take relationship of vampire and victim.
Before the concert started, “LeStans” were sitting in the Beacon and flipping through a fake Rolling Stone issue with Lestat emblazoned on the cover, complete with interviews with the undead frontman inside. Other fans were admiring the vinyl pressing of Lestat’s EP as they walked past a section of undead band merch. Fandom and fantasy blur together, and it all becomes this elaborate, immersive experience. Fan celebration, erotic gothic fantasy, and a lavish rock concert transform into one beautiful thing.
To this point, AMC Global Media’s Chief Content Officer and President of AMC Studios, Dan McDermott, introduced the event by reiterating to fans, “You are the heartbeat of the series.” That’s abundantly clear on nights like this as that heartbeat collectively pulses to this performance. In terms of how AMC engages with The Vampire Lestat’s fans, it’s as bold a reinvention as the season itself.
This intuitive gamble speaks to AMC’s creativity in this department and a fandom that is eager to seize such opportunities. It’s the same innovation that led to zombie walks for The Walking Dead and real-life Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant pop-ups from Breaking Bad. It’s a great way to pump up the audience for The Vampire Lestat and then maintain that enthusiasm for the whole season.
For most series, a rock ‘n’ roll concert just doesn’t make any sense as a promotional tool. The Vampire Lestat finds itself in a very unique position where it can deliver an excellent concert at an iconic theater, but also use it to showcase The Vampire Lestat’s music by Daniel Hart (who was shredding on stage alongside Reid and the rest of their band) and, more than anything, Sam Reid’s endless charisma.
The way in which Reid feeds off of the crowd’s energy, modulating his performance and giving different sections of the Beacon life, is a perfect distillation of the series’ thoughtful relationship with its audience and how it’s become such a breakout success for AMC. AMC Studios President Dan McDermott emphasized that the fans are the reason that the show is still here and why an event like this is even possible. It’s rare to see a series in which every single cog in the machine is so perfectly attuned to its fans. Reid’s fans already cheer whenever they see him, so why not translate that to a concert setting?
It’s clear in this season of television that Reid was born to be a rock star, but it’s surreal to see him effortlessly command the stage — and the audience — at every step of the concert. He recites Shakespeare monologues and bitches out Armand between songs, all while the audience screams in support. For the duration of this concert, Reid is Lestat, and he’s given thousands of fans a memory that’s as immortal as any vampire.
Now bring on the encore and get this show on the road!
You must be logged in to post a comment.