The Conjuring - poised to petrify

James Wan is on fire. The director of Saw (the original) and Insidious is set to carve up the box office this weekend, dethroning blockbusters left and right with The Conjuring, one of the best-reviewed horror films in ages, the buzz is that Wan has himself a genuine classic.

85% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, The Conjuring should knock the stuffing out of the loathesome looking R.I.P.D. and could do Evil Dead numbers ($54 million?) - the feeling is this could be the best audience shocker since the original Poltergeist, and that's saying something. Lily Taylor and Patrick Wilson star. It's always nice to see a little movie with a modest budget that no one was expecting charge ahead of the tentpoles to become a sleeper hit purely on the strength of it connecting with audiences. This is what memories of summer at the movies are all about.