The Conjuring 4K Ultra HD Review

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

An Overview: Setting Skepticism Aside

If one puts aside skepticism about the paranormal and the somewhat dubious claims in the career of Ed and Lorraine Warren (the couple famous for the Amityville Horror case, among others), director James Wan (Insidious, Saw) has crafted one of the best haunted house films to come around in a long time with The Conjuring. Inspired by Andrea Perron’s book House of Darkness, House of Light: The True Story—which details her family’s supposed struggle against evil forces in their home—the film follows the subsequent investigation by the famous (or infamous) demonologist duo Ed and Lorraine Warren (played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, respectively). Wan’s film is a masterclass in atmosphere, simplicity, and classic horror, the likes of which is rare these days, even in his own previous films, which are often the epitome of excess.

The Warrens and the Perron Family

The film begins with Ed and Lorraine Warren investigating a haunted doll that has wreaked havoc on a trio of roommates after they allegedly allowed a spirit to inhabit it. The Warrens explain it is an inhuman spirit seeking an anchor into this world. They take the doll into their care and place it among the other artifacts in their personal museum, a locked room in their home that is blessed by a priest weekly to ward off the evil within.

Three years later, the Perron family moves into their dream home in Harrisville, RI. It’s a fixer-upper of an old farmhouse, but it’s large enough for parents Carolyn (Lili Taylor) and Roger (Ron Livingston) and their five daughters: Andrea (Shanley Caswell), Nancy (Hayley McFarland), Christine (Joey King), Cindy (Mackenzie Foy), and April (Kyla Deaver). Their idyllic life is immediately disrupted by an increasing series of unnerving events: Carolyn discovers mysterious bruises, the daughters see strange figures and swear someone grabs them at night, and foul odors appear from nowhere. In her terror, Carolyn turns to the Warrens for help. Their investigation uncovers a malevolent entity clinging to the family, one that follows them everywhere with a single goal: the death of every family member.

A Masterclass in Atmospheric Horror

Rather than inundate the audience with constant jump scares or an onslaught of gore—a tactic common in Wan’s previous work—the director here holds back. He allows the atmosphere and the story itself to generate scares organically. A shadow swelling down a hallway, an intense stare under a dark bed by a shivering young girl, a door squeaking in the distance—these elements expertly wind up the tension until it reaches a fever pitch for the finale. Furthermore, the film masterfully maintains ambiguity, leaving viewers unsure if they are witnessing a true supernatural journey or simply the result of imaginations running wild in a strange new house. In one scene, a girl wakes up screaming, swearing someone pulled her feet. Her sister stands by the door and cries, “No, they’re right behind you!” but we see nothing—just darkness, shadows, and light before the door slams shut. Is it the wind? This is the potent psychological terror that Wan stirs up in The Conjuring.

Compelling Performances Anchor the Terror

However, the film’s expertly crafted terror would be for naught without its flawless performances, particularly from Vera Farmiga and Lili Taylor. The two female leads are the heart of the film; in fact, the younger actresses also deliver powerfully, leaving the male characters feeling somewhat peripheral. The terror the young girls portray is palpable. Taylor seamlessly transforms from a happy, confident mother into an unhinged and psychotic vessel for the entity. Farmiga is equally mesmerizing, portraying a character who is both confident and vulnerable—a worried mother herself (a detail that becomes crucial later)—and absolutely convincing as the investigator who can supposedly “see” what is truly happening.

The Video

The Conjuring was shot in 2.8K resolution and the Arri Alexa high definition camera was used in the production to capture what results in a rather filmic image that is brought 4K from a 2K DI in a 2.39:1 HEVC 2160p (4K UHD) HDR10 encodement. The 2013 Blu-ray was excellent and this 4K disc improves on that, not necessarily in absolute resolution, but it gives a cleaner, still filmic appearance and adds a little more pop in the highlights and superb shadow details. It captures all the nuance of the shadows, and all the minute details like the cobwebbed cellar and the notches on the possessed doll. It will have you lost in in its atmospheric world without any hints of digital intrusions.

The Audio

The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is masterful as well. Just as every good horror mix should be, it is atmospheric and drowns you in a soundscape of terrible sounds, from the lowest whispers, to the scariest creek of a floor panel, and when need be, it gets big, loud, and deep, with lows reaching way down to the lowest frequencies.

The Supplements

Most of the included supplements are ported over from the 2013 Blu-ray release. There are also two new featurettes. A Movies Anywhere digital code is also included. No Blu-ray with the feature film is included.

• Scariest of them All (1080p; 00:07:47) – The cast and creators of The Conjuring take a look back at some of the greatest scares of the series, uncovering what made these films so iconic. (NEW)
• Reflections on The Conjuring (1080p; 00:06:45) – More than a decade after the release of the original film, the cast and crew of The Conjuring reflect on their experiences creating one of the most legendary horror series in history. (NEW)
• The Conjuring: Face to Face with Terror (1080p; 00:06:39) – Relive the real-life horror as the Perron family comes together to reflect back on the farmhouse they shared with diabolic spirits for nearly a decade.
• A Life in Demonology (1080p; 00:15:39) – The real demonologist and paranormal experts from The Conjuring take you inside their life’s work and into their personal occult cellar, where they keep haunted and unholy relics from their many cases.
• Scaring the ‘@$*%’ Out of You (1080p/24; 00:08:04) – Director James Wan (Saw, Insidious) welcomes you into his world and gives you an inside look at the scenes that scare the “@$*%” out of moviegoers time and time again.

The Final Assessment

A classic haunted house genre filmmaking at its best, The Conjuring is one film that is not to be watched alone, trust me. It will definitely make for a great inclusion on any Halloween movie marathon, now looking just a bit better than it ever has on home video in this excellent 4K release from Warner Bros.

The Conjuring is out on 4K Ultra HD + Digital August 26, 2025 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment

• Rating Certificate: R (for sequences of disturbing violence and terror)
• Studios & Distributors: New Line Cinema | The Safran Company | Evergreen Media Group | Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
• Director: James Wan
• Written By: Chad Hayes | Carey W. Hayes
• Run Time: 112 Mins.
• Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
• Video Format: HEVC 2160p (4K UHD)
• HDR Format: HDR10
• HDR10 Metadata:
  • MaxLL: 727 nits
  • MaxFALL: 95 nits
• Primary Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1
• Secondary Audio: English Descriptive Audio | French (Québecois) DD 5.1 | French DD 5.1 | German DD 5.1 | Italian DD 5.1 | Spanish (Castilian) DD 5.1 | Spanish (Latino) DD 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH | French | German SDH | Italian SDH | Spanish (Castilian) | Dutch | Spanish (Latino) | Chinese | Danish | Finnish | Norwegian | Swedish