James Wan Returned To Direct The Conjuring 2 Just For One Patrick Wilson Scene
"The Conjuring" franchise has easily given us some of the best horror movies of the last decade — and Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson's terrific on-screen chemistry as the badass demon-hunting couple Ed and Lorraine Warren makes it all the more special. With effective jumpscares, a genuinely moving ghost story, and romance as its secret ingredient, James Wan's "The Conjuring" works as a film that features both a horror tale and a love story.
The sequel has one of the greatest love scenes we've ever seen in a horror movie — and it's a scene that moved James Wan enough to return to the helm for the film.
Ed Warren's musical genius
James Wan is the mind behind several horror franchises, including "Saw," but "The Conjuring" features his most extraordinary love story yet. Wan tells this tale utilizing a highly-fictionalized version of real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. There's much danger when investigating the supernatural, but Wan uses the against-all-odds love story between Ed and Lorraine to keep their characters grounded.
In "The Conjuring 2," there's a scene where Ed picks up the guitar and performs a beautiful rendition of Elvis' hit song "Can't Help Falling In Love." While his performance aims to soothe a family in the wake of a demonic haunting, it's clear to audiences watching that he's singing it to his wife. Wan recently shared a video of the recording to his personal Instagram. The video sees actor Patrick Wilson performing the song in the studio, and Wan described the scene as the reason he returned to helm "The Conjuring 2."
It's also Wan's favorite scene in the film. The director's caption gives audiences an insight into the scene: "Probably my fav scene in C2 — the way it illustrates how they help/comfort the family, but ultimately plays into Lorraine's troubled emotion and her fear of losing Ed (played perfectly by Vera). This was the first thing I thought of for the movie and that I pitched to Patrick. Actually, I asked him if he could play the guitar and sing, and he said, 'That's literally the other thing I do!'"
The Conjuring is about its characters
When /Film's Jack Giroux interviewed James Wan back in 2016, the horror filmmaker expanded on his love for the scene. He talked about the characters Farmiga and Wilson played and how the film's Elvis cover affected the narrative. Wan wanted to do something different with "The Conjuring," so he took the time to create characters that fans would get to know and root for, which is something they wouldn't find in a "typical" horror movie.
"... We love the characters. That was part of the reason why I decided to come back to Conjuring 2. I get to expand on the role of these two people, the cinematic version of Ed and Lorraine. The versions that Patrick and Vera Farmiga played, I really love them. Also, I wanted to do something that feels different to a lot of horror movies. Especially a lot of studio horror films. That is, take the time to actually create these characters that you care about, get to know them a bit more. Just come up with character moments that you wouldn't usually see in a typical horror film."
'There's lots of layers to it'
Wan shared his two cents about the scene in question, explaining how it had a lot of layers.
"One of my favorite sequences in the whole movie is when Patrick tries to get the family together. He plays them an Elvis song, and I feel like that sequence says a lot about how we feel about his character and how he interacts with the family. Also, with that one scene, there's lots of layers to it. Not only makes the family feel a bit happy with what's happening, but also it's a montage sequence and also shows how Lorraine is feeling about everything."
"The Conjuring" universe is the highest-grossing horror franchise to date. While the films released to mixed reviews from critics, Ed and Lorraine's on-screen love story has helped solidify it into a horror franchise that is truly one of a kind.