One of the most popular cinematic genres is horror. Some people like being scared, so they harden their nerves. If you have not watched a real horror movie for a long time, and nothing else scares you anymore - pay attention to the horror film “The Spell”, which is one of the best in its genre. The article will introduce you to the actors of the movie and tell about the reviews of the audience.
Based on real events.
Lorraine and Edward, whose story is described in the film, actually existed. They were the authors of publications about unusual and paranormal events, and the spouses also engaged in private practice. In 1925, the family laid the foundations for a psychology research society and also opened the Warren Occult Museum. Husband and wife claimed that they had seen about 10 thousand inexplicable cases during their entire work. They also trained some modern demonologists.
Lorraine Warren is still alive. After the death of Edward, she did not quit her job, to this day the woman continues to study the paranormal. It was the activities of the spouses that formed the basis of the plot of the film "The Spell" of 2013. On the set, Lorraine acted as a consultant and even starred in a cameo scene.
Plot
The film tells about a family that moves to a new home in an effort to start a new life. Beloved husband, a wonderful wife and five wonderful daughters cross the threshold of the house, not knowing what it will turn out for them. What happens in the house, not just pranks of a house-hold or a ghost, is the devil who begins the hunt for guests.
At night, strange sounds are heard in the apartment, photo frames fall from the walls and break, children become witnesses of terrible things, bruises appear on the wife’s body ... The family decides to call for help from the then-known researchers of paranormal events. It turns out that the terrible creature really settled in the house, and although everyone is scared until their death, they have no choice but to begin to confront this creature.
The team involved in making the film
The film was shot in the USA in 2013. Its original name is The Conjuring. About 13 million dollars were spent on the "Spell". The genre of the film is thriller, horror. Viewing time - 112 minutes.
- Director: James Van, creator of legendary films such as Saw and Astral.
- Screenwriters: Chad Hayes, Carey Hayes.
- Producers: Rob Cowen, Tony DeRosa-Grand, Peter Safran.
- Operator: John R. Leonetti.
- Composer: Joseph Bishara.
- Artists: Julie Berghoff, Fiona Gavin, A. Todd Holland, Andrew Rothschild, Christine M. Bourke.
- Montage: Kirk M. Morrie.
- Film production: Warner Bros., New Line Cinema.
"The spell." Actors and roles
The film was attended by:
- Patrick Wilson (Edward Warren).
- Vera Farmiga (Lorraine Warren).
- Ron Livingston (Roger Perron).
- Lily Taylor (Carolyn Perron).
- Hayley McFarland (Nancy).
- Shanley Caswell (Andrea).
- Joey King (Christine).
- Mackenzie Foy (Cindy).
- John Brotherton (Brad).
- Steve Coulter (Father Gordon).
- Christoph Waylon (Maurizio).
- Arnell Powell (reporter).
- Sterling Jerins (Judy Warren).
- Marion Guillot (Georgiana).
This list includes the actors and roles that appeared in the film “The Spell”. We suggest you familiarize yourself with some of them in more detail.
Lorraine warren
The researcher of the paranormal, the wife of Edward Warren, was played by the charming Vera Farmiga. Born in 1973 in a family of Ukrainian immigrants. Vera was a student of the school of art and drama. In 1996, she first appeared in the play, and a year later she could be seen in the series. Over the course of her career, Vera has appeared in films such as Autumn in New York, The Departed, To the End, and The Boy in Striped Pajamas. Currently married to former musician Renn Hawkey, the couple has two children.
The actress reports that while preparing for the filming of “The Spell”, she studied demonology, and these books scared her. Vera’s imagination got the better of her, perhaps it even seemed to her that there was something mystical and inexplicable on the set. Vera Farmiga believes that the film will surely amaze its viewer spiritually, emotionally and physically - because this film touches on the concepts of God, Satan, life, death and mysticism.
Edward warren
One of the main actors in The Spell, Patrick Wilson, did a great job. The actor was born in 1973, graduated from the university in 1995, having received the specialty "Dramatic Art". First appeared on the screen in 2001 in the film “My Sister's Wedding”. In addition to his role in the film “The Spell”, Patrick Wilson is known for such films as “Team A”, “Astral”, “Guardians”. He is currently married, has two children.
The actor responds positively about the role in The Spell. He liked working with the director and the rest of the cast. The most difficult part in the role of Ed Warren was to speak Latin, as the actor admits. Patrick is not a religious person, in his life he has never seen a single ghost, but he believes in them. The actor promises that the "Spell" will appeal to people of all ages.
Roger Perron
With the role of the father of the Perron family, the American actor Ron Livingston did an excellent job. He was born in 1968 in Iowa, graduated from Yale University, faculty of arts - Ron studied theater and literature. Thanks to his studies, he took part in the popular theater festival.
After moving to Chicago, he participated in various theatrical productions, played at the Goodman Theater. He made his debut in cinema in 1992, in the comedy “Conversation Frankly”. After starred in a large number of American paintings, including "Dog Life", "Party People", "At a Distance of Love."
Ron also starred in the popular series Sex and the City, playing the main character's lover there. This role has strengthened the position of Ron in the acting environment. Ron Livingston was engaged twice, currently married to actress Rosemary DeWitt.
Carolyn Parron
In the film “The Spell”, Lily Taylor played the mother of five daughters, Roger's wife. Born in a large family in 1967. After graduating from school, I went to study at a theater school. First appeared in the movie "Mystic Pizza" in 1988, but the actress found popularity thanks to the films "Wacky Bet", "Johnny D", "I shot Andy Warhol." Often appears on TV shows. Married, brings up a daughter.
The actress speaks well of the entire crew, considering each of them a professional in her field. For Lily, the most difficult in the whole process of filming was emotional stress. In some scenes, she had to scream loudly, for the sake of this, she even studied screaming - a special vocal technique used by rock musicians.
Lily also says: so that the actors playing members of the Perron family get to know each other better, the director takes them to a restaurant and leaves them alone. She was very surprised by this act, but in the end everything went well - dinner only helped to unite the newly made acting family.
Nancy Perron
One of the daughters, frightened by the sinister presence of a demon, was played by Hayley McFarland. The girl was born in 1991. During her childhood, she participated in the productions of Titanic, Sound of Music, and Violinist on the Roof. She studied acting in the studio of a famous producer. She was involved in several series, and also appeared in the film "American Crime."
Currently, the career of actress Hayley McFarland is going up. After the film “The Spell” in 2013, the girl appeared in the series “Anatomy of Passion” and “Sons of Anarchy”.
Andrei Perron
The actress playing another family daughter is Shanley Caswell. Born in 1991 in Florida. The theater fell in love even at the time of school. At the age of 15, she tried herself as a model, studied anthropology at a university in California, but eventually arrived in Los Angeles in order to begin her career as an actress.
The first serious role of the girl is the series "Zoe 101" of 2008. You can see Shanley Caswell as the main character in the films Punishment and Snow White. Deadly Summer. ” After The Spell, the actress continued her career, but changed the genre - for a year the girl participated in the series “Naval Police. New Orleans".
Christine Parron
Actress Joey King was born in 1999 in California. She starred in her first film at 7 years old, she also worked on the voice acting of the characters of the popular animated films "Horton" and "Ice Age." The era of the dinosaurs. " Joey is also famous for starring in the movie "Ramona and Buzus", where the idol of teenagers Selena Gomez starred with her. The best films in the girl’s career are Oz, the Great and the Terrible, The Storm of the White House, and Family Weekend.
She was nominated for the “Young Actor” film award for several years in a row, and eventually received it in 2011. Most recently, the girl began a musical career. Joey's shooting is planned for several months in advance, in her young years, the girl is a sought-after actress.
Cindy Parron
Mackenzie Christine Foy was born in 2000 in San Diego. The girl began her modeling career at a very young age: she was then about 5 years old. Collaborated with well-known advertising corporations. She first starred in Charmed in 2006, but the scene with Mackenzie never entered the final version of the series. After the actress starred in several American TV series, and was also approved for the role of "Twilight. Saga. Dawn".
Now the girl continues her successful acting career. She is actively engaged in sounding cartoons. After The Spell, she can be seen in the film “I wish you well” and in the legendary “Interstellar”, where the girl played the role of the daughter of the protagonist.
April Parron
April is the youngest daughter of the Parron family, played by actress Kayla Diver. Born in 2003, she began acting in films and TV shows in 2009. At the time of the filming of The Spell, the girl was only 5 years old. Over her entire short acting career, she managed to appear in several TV shows, such as Masters of Sex, Beautiful to Death, as well as in several short films. In addition to The Spell, Kyle can be seen in the 2016 horror film Somnia.
Movie making
The preparatory process for the creation was launched in 2011. In June, it was reported that James Van would direct the film, and Warner Bros later confirmed the rumors. At the beginning of 2012, four main characters have already received roles in the motion picture. The original title of the picture was “The Warren Dossier,” but at the suggestion of the director, the film received the name we know right before the start of promotion.
To prepare for the roles, Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson traveled to Connecticut, where the real Lorraine Warren lived to chat with her about the film. Lily Taylor also carefully prepared for her role, looking at the 1973 Exorcist.
The horror film Spell was filmed for three months. When filming, the chronological sequence of events was taken into account. In the end, half an hour of material was cut.
Interesting facts about the film
- Lorraine Warren herself took part in the film. She can be seen among other people in the class during a couple’s performance. An elderly woman in the very front row is her.
- A film on the history of the Perron family was wanted to be shot for 20 years. The first time they learned about them was when Ed Warren showed producer Tony DeRosa Grande a tape recording a conversation with Carolyn.
- The film “The Spell” was shot with the help of consultants Lorraine and Andrei, direct participants in the events. Both of them stated that the events taking place in the film are an accurate reflection of these events.
- The House of the Pernons was investigated throughout the year (1973-1974).
- Andrea Perron became the author of a trilogy dedicated to the sinister events that happened to her. It is called "House of Darkness, House of Light." Everything described in the book was reflected in the film, to which Andrea herself refers to as a real work of art.
- James Van wanted to convey the mood of the horror films of the 70s.
- The real Annabelle doll consisted of rags, not porcelain, as shown in the film.
- The composer of The Spells starred as a ghost, and this is the second time in the films of this director - the first film was Astral.
Errors in the movie
- While the spouses are listening to the recording of a conversation with Carolyn, the arrow on the player does not move.
- Cypress, which grows much further than Rhode Island, is visible in the frame during the scene with a bolt.
- The white truck, followed by a minibus, appears only in 1973. The events of the film narrate about 1971.
- As Judy walks down the stairs, a smoke detector can be seen right above her head. In 1968, they could be purchased, but not in the form of modern models.
The spell. Viewers reviews
It’s hard for horror films to earn high marks from film critics - it’s believed that the worst has long been filmed. Nevertheless, the “Spell” receives predominantly positive reviews. The company, which is engaged in marketing research, conducted a survey of viewers after leaving the cinema. The average score was 5 with a minus on a five-point scale.
Viewers love the Spell. The responses are as follows: the film seems interesting to people, impressing, they put it on a par with Astral and Dead Silence. The film is gloomy, frightening to goosebumps - which is worth only the sinister house in which the family settles.
It is noted that watching a movie on a large screen with a loud sound is even worse. People are frightened by strange objects, living their lives, and ghosts who want to play an ominous game with their families.
Negative reviews
Some viewers give average ratings for the film. "You can see if there is nothing more," they write in their reviews. Someone is disappointed with a small number of terrible situations. There is also an opinion that there is really little scary - the effect is achieved due to sharp, sudden moments that scare for a split second.
On some viewers, the film “The Spell” made no impression whatsoever. They note that this picture is more like a comedy, and while watching there is something to laugh at, but there is no fear at all. Dissatisfied viewers are advised not to lose time and money and choose another movie.
The “Spell” does not live up to the expectations of the entire film, and in the end it becomes completely uninteresting. The plot is battered, the acting game - on a solid "troika". However, both amateurs and haters have everything.
Continuation
In 2016, the second part of the cult film Spell was released. Reviews about him are positive, the sequel to the film is not inferior to its predecessor. In the center of events are the same paranormal researchers - Edward and Lorraine Warren. This time, at the secret request of the church, they are exploring a story known as the Anfield Poltergeist.
In northern London, the lone mother Peggy Hodgson and her daughter Janet are waging a relentless battle with the evil entity. For some reason, he wants to drive the family out of the house, and for some reason, it is not known. Spouse tries to help the English specialist Maurice Gross, one of the first to encounter strange activity in the house.
The director of the second part is James Van, already familiar to us from the last film. It is noteworthy that due to the filming of The Spell, he decided to abandon the huge fee for staging the eighth Fast and the Furious. According to James, he was younger again to tell a terrible story again. The actors who took part in the filming are also familiar to us from the first part: this is the unsurpassed Vera Farmiga and the charming Patrick Wilson. The real Lorraine Warren again acted as a consultant.
Summing up, we can confidently say that “The Spell” is a good horror film. And it’s better not to watch it alone. Creepy objects, inexplicable events, demonic entities, exorcism - all present in the film "The Spell". Reviews of the picture can be seen different: someone praises the horror movie, while someone was not impressed. Be that as it may, “The Spell” remains one of the best films in the “horror” category, and it should be watched by any connoisseur of the genre.