The Conjuring (2013) with Christian Parker

Scare U

The house in Harrisville, Rhode Island is not clean. In fact it's filthy, lousy with supernatural yuck. That's bad news for whoever inhabits it, and no one's going to have it worse than the Perrons—father Roger (Ron Livingston), mother Carolyn (Lili Taylor), and their five daughters. When the otherworldly rumblings get out of hand, who they gonna call? In this case, it's the OG Ghostbusters, Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga). To say what happens next would be a spoiler, and we don't do that without a warning. But after our forays into James Wan's Dead Silence and Insidious, allow us to say that The Conjuring is a cool breath of delightfully fetid air. Director, dramaturg, and Columbia University professor Christian Parker joins us for academically incisive commentary.

Intro, Debate Society, To Sir With Love (spoiler-free): 00:00-29:00
Honor Roll and Detention (spoiler-heavy): 29:01-1:01:20
Superlatives (spoiler-heavier): 1:01:21-1:20:50

Director James Wan
Screenplay Chad Hayes & Carey W. Hayes
Featuring Joseph Bishara, John Brotherton, Shanley Caswell, Kyla Deaver, Vera Farmiga, Mackenzie Foy, Joey King, Hayley McFarland, Shannon Kook, Ron Livingston, Patrick Wilson, Lili Taylor

Christian Parker is a director, dramaturg, and former Chair of the graduate Theatre Program at Columbia University, where he is currently a professor of Professional Practice, leading the MFA concentration in Dramaturgy. His work has been on view at the Steppenwolf Theatre, Gulfshore Playhouse, the Rattlestick, the New Harmony Project, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and many others. Christian has served as the Associate Artistic Director of Atlantic Theater Company, was on the Tony Awards Nominating Committee for three years, and was a resident at the American Academy in Rome in Spring 2024.

Our theme music is by Edward Elgar and Sir Cubworth. Music from The Conjuring by Joseph Bishara.