Based on a true story, The Conjuring tells the tale of Roger and Carolyn Perron (Ron Livingston and Lili Taylor) and their five daughters, who find that they’re not the only inhabitants in their newly bought two-story lake house. The signs, though not-so-innocuous-even-at-first (e.g., slamming doors, eerie presences, mysterious bruises), proceed to worsen.

Feeling increasingly tormented, the Perrons enlist the help of paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga), a demonologist and clairvoyant made famous by their investigation into the Amityville Horror, in what will prove to be the most terrifying case of their lives.

Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter writes, “On the basis of through-the-roof reactions at test screenings, Warners and New Line moved the film’s release from January to the summer tentpole season, a decision that should pay off with sizzling summer receipts from young adults. But the handsomely shot, expertly button-pushing scare-fest has the polish and the cast to draw older audiences who grew up on shockers built from performances rather than CGI.”

Justin Chang of Variety calls it, “A sensationally entertaining old-school freak out and one of the smartest, most viscerally effective thrillers in recent memory. Director James Wan’s sixth and best feature is pull-out-the-stops horror filmmaking of a very sophisticated order.”

BoxOffice.com is predicting that The Conjuring debuts at $30M.

Rating: R // Genre: Horror, Thriller // Runtime: 1 hr. and 52 min. // Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Lili Taylor, Ron Livingston // Directed by: James Wan // Written by: Chad Hayes, Carey Hayes // Produced by: Evergreen Media Group, New Line Cinema, The Safran Company // Distributed by: Warner Bros.