The horror genre seemed to have veered into a newer way of presenting movies by the start of this decade, until The Conjuring came about. This film brought back the classic tropes we used to see in scary films two decades or longer ago.
The Conjuring 3 will be out by this time next year, meaning we have enough time to get our wish lists ready as to what we want to see in this film. The series has given us plenty of spin-offs too; and taking into account all we’ve seen in the first two films and the supplementary entries, we’ve come up with 10 things we want from The Conjuring 3.
New Set-Up For Prequels
The Conjuring films are where future villains are validated as being the real deal, and we’re excited to see how The Conjuring 3 sets up new villains going forward. The Conjuring had brought us the Annabelle doll, while The Conjuring 2 brought us The Nun.
It only makes sense that the next film brings us another apex spirit to watch out for to have their individual spin-off released in the future, thereby expanding The Conjuring universe farther than it is now. The previous films have established these spirits as worthy of having their own movies, while also providing a definite conclusion to them in their debut appearance; this is what we’ll be looking out for this time as well.
The Annabelle Doll
By now, it’s just traditional for us to want to see the Annabelle doll in a Conjuring movie. She was established in the first part and alluded to in the second as well. Her importance was highlighted by Annabelle Comes Home focusing on the Lorraine household, and this is too much history for it to be ignored in the future.
The Conjuring 3 should ideally link back to Annabelle somehow, in that whatever spirit is the antagonist in this film should have a connection to Annabelle as well. This would circle back the events of all three movies together well.
An Adult Judy Warren
Now that Annabelle Comes Home has made us think of Judy as something of her own character rather than just seeing as the Lorraines’ daughter, she needs to have an active role in The Conjuring 3.
Rather than steal focus, though, Judy’s role should have her accompany her parents and be well-versed with the Lorraines’ ghost hunting methods. Who knows, perhaps if she’s built up well enough, The Conjuring series could have its foot in the future as well and continue sequels with Judy as the main protagonist. In any case, it would be a testament to Ed and Lorraine’s upbringing of their daughter if she’s shown to be an expert in this film.
A Mysterious Setting
A negative point in The Conjuring 2 was that the scares were more in-your-face in nature than being eerie like the first part. While it’s fun to have the ghost attack straight away rather than tease the inevitable attack, there’s no denying the horror genre was built upon the mystery surrounding the setting.
This time round, the horror doesn’t have to be doled out in fully-packed action sequences, but would be better off by catching the viewer unawares. Never underestimate the power of a perfectly executed jump scare.
Larger Family In Focus
It doesn’t strictly need to be a family that gets haunted this time round, but since that seems to be the formula in all of The Conjuring universe films, it would make sense for another family to be haunted.
However, unlike The Curse of La Llorona or The Conjuring 2, a smaller family won’t make for as much of a thrilling affair. Instead, a large family as seen in the original film is the way to go. This is because it opens up more space to scare a larger cast of characters, which means more variety in scares and scenes with more depth.
More Emotional Moments
A lovely departure from usual horror film endings was seen in The Conjuring 2, where the movie ended with a dancing sequence between Ed and Lorraine. This is the kind of heart we love from these films, as it humanizes characters to the point where we can’t bear to see them be killed off.
Of course, Ed and Lorraine aren’t really in danger of dying due to their real life survival, but adding in genuinely touching moments would come close to making viewers fear that one of them could very well become a victim. And that’s the kind of thrill that keeps the audience watching.
A Scary Soundtrack
Soundtracks are always important, so much so that they should be priority number 1. Effective music works in every genre, be it sitcoms or horror movies. The Conjuring movies have lacked in this department, making the next film the one primed to correct this.
Since these movies lack the kind of kill count that horror movies rely on to add tension, the alternative would be to induce tension using music. This would involve heightening the setting by creating dread in the viewer; all through the implementation of a soundtrack that stirs fear in your chest.
At Least A Couple Deaths
All of The Conjuring universe films avoid killing off characters and focusing on the thrills that precede the ending. While that has made these films stand out compared to other movies like Saw (which packs in kills galore), it’s high time to raise the stakes.
It doesn’t need to be the main characters who get killed off, but at least a couple characters really should be done away with in order to tear away the sense of security viewers now watch these films with. This would be perfect to keep fans guessing, with the predictability factor evaporating with it.
A Haunted Town
Among other things we’ve mentioned have become part of the series formula, a haunted house has almost overstayed its welcome by now. In its place, how awesome would it be to have a whole town that is haunted?
This would make the protagonists - and by extension the audience - feel as if they’re trapped in there with violent spirits. The horror genre hasn’t dealt with stories of this scale either, meaning this would give The Conjuring 3 the chance to pull off something that can be a game changer for the genre.
Return Of Spin-off Characters
Ultimately, there has to be a point to there being so many spin-offs within the series, and The Conjuring films are the ones that bring them together. As there are many years separating films like Annabelle: Creation, The Curse of La Llorona, and The Nun, it would make sense to see where the characters featured there are now.
Plus, it would make these spin-off movies really mean something, since witnessing Ed and Lorraine interact with these characters would drive home the fact that all these events are taking place in one universe.