"The Conjuring has just enough tongue-in-cheek visual elements—like the goofy yellow font introducing the film's title and "true-story" origins, the ostentatious zooms, and the prevalence of high-waist jeans—to maintain an element of levity without undermining the film's frights. The period touches never distract from the deft storytelling, in which Wan juggles two separate families and their distinct wants, fears, and stakes... As the thematic emphasis jockeys between their stories, multiple events often occur simultaneously, particularly toward the climax, giving the film a swift pace and a tension that primes the audience to jump." - Sarah Mankoff, Film Comment Magazine