James Wans Scariest Movie Was Made Before The Conjuring (& It’s Not Saw) – Screen Rant

James Wan has helped redefine the horror genre, but one of his earliest movies is an overlooked gem thats scarier than Saw or The Conjuring.

James Wan has made a tremendous impression on the horror genre and even though titles like Saw and The Conjuring gained major acclaim, his scariest movie, Death Sentence,masquerades as an action film.

Both James Wan made a very big entrance with his debut feature film, Saw, which has gone on to become one of the most popular modern horror franchises. The Saw sequels can get a little out of hand, but the original is a tight and smart take on the genre. Wan would go on to also helm the first two entries in both the Insidious and Conjuring franchises, the latter of which has spawned its own connected cinematic universe.

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Wan has grown into a major filmmaker thats been given tent pole action franchises like Furious 7 and Aquaman, but hes someone who continually returns to horror as a source of inspiration. The horror genre comes through in Wans work, even when hes playing around in a different genre. Wan followed up Saw with the unsuccessful and compromised Dead Silence, but before he turned to The Conjuring or Insidious franchises, he directed an action movie called Death Sentence.

Death Sentence is billed as an action film, but so much of the way in which James Wan choreographs and orchestrates scenes reflects the staples of the horror genre. One of the biggest moments in the movie is when Nick Hume (Kevin Bacon) takes his first life. The lighting becomes more extreme and the score becomes intimidating and reminiscent of a horror movie. It tries to conjure that same energy with its cinematography because, at that moment, Nicks life has become a horror film.

This approach is maintained throughout the movie wherein every fight is legitimately scary and brutal. The contrast surprises the audience because this isnt supposed to be a horror movie. At one point, Nick even suffers from a nightmare thats specifically shot in a manner thats similar to the Saw films as the camera becomes more frenetic and a green tint takes over.

Arguably the best scene in the movie is the chaotic foot chase and shoot out that takes place on the streets and in public. Its a sequence thats far more frightening than the public danger that takes place inThe Purge movies and others like it. The violence in Death Sentenceis presented in a realistic and unflinching way thats deeply terrifying. Wan masterfully shoots the scene in a sprawling, uninterrupted take that frequently shifts perspectives. What makes this approach so frightening is that its never clear where every character is and who has the advantage at the moment. It makes the audience as exhausted and tense as Nick.

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Death Sentences approach to its environment also tries to generate the most fear out of all of these locations. The den that the gang hangs out in is lit in a dank way where it looks like a torture room fromSaw. Later on, the building where the gang makes their drugs looks like a disturbing, haunted funhouse. These spaces are full of evil people, but Wan makes sure that every aspect of production design creates unease.

James Wans horror films are all very successful at what theyre trying to do, but the Saw films can sometimes feel like Jigsaw/John Kramer isa super villain due to how over the top the traps and level of planning are. Insidious and The Conjuring are supernatural stories that revolve around evil spirits rather than people. Death Sentence involves regular human beings who are at the end of their ropes; this makes the danger and fear more visceral. Both Nick and Billy Darley (Garrett Hedlund) are fighting over lost loved ones, and its easy to feel the weight in that. Its hard to not be moved by such an emotional tragedy.

Kevin Bacon doesnt hold back in his performance, and so much of Death Sentence has him doing raw and painful work. Its a devastating destruction of the human soul, and at a certain point, a light just goes out in him. Death Sentence intentionally juxtaposes how Nick used to be to what hes now become. His dark behavior seeps through into his everyday life. There are some incredibly powerful scenes that involve Nick trying to do his job at the Fortune 500 company that he works for as everyone gawks over the changes that hes experienced. Wans horror films typically just live in their haunted environments, but this allows for a deeper level of reflection.

The subject matter and the way in which its presented in Death Sentence is very frightening, but the movie even narrows in on disturbing visuals and set pieces that feel like they belong in a horror film. Nick gets delivered a package at work from the gang that looks like the kind of thing that Jigsaw would design. The personal nature of the packages contents push Nick over the edge. Death Sentence is an extremely violent movie, but the violence depicted is exaggerated like in a horror film. The movie lingers on limbs being blown off and doesnt pull back. Consequently, the first Saw film actually cuts away from a lot of the iconic violence, opting to leave more to the imagination.

Related: Why The Conjuring's Shared Universe Has Succeeded (When So Many Others Failed)

The circumstances that get Nick involved with the gang in the first place are triggered by him unintentionally engaging in a gang initiation by flashing his headlights. This apocryphal situation feels like its right out of Urban Legend, and the imagery around these seemingly innocent gestures creates a deep level of anxiety and fear over whats going to happen.

Nicks rage ultimately gets the better of him, and he exacts his revenge on Billy Darley and his gang. By the end of all of this, both Nick and Billy are a bloody mess. Billy even marvels at Nicks transformation and tells him, You look like one of us. Look what I made you. The scariest ending possible is that Billy is right and Nick is now on even ground with him. Hes become just as big of a monster, a blunt object with nothing left. Whats even more chilling is that if he had just left things alone, hed still have a life with his son. Instead, hell succumb to his injuries and leave his boy orphaned with little money left.

In a sense, this idea of metamorphosis and degradation is also present in the Saw sequels as other people follow in John Kramers footsteps, but Death Sentences ending is even bleaker. James Wan leaves audiences in pitch black territory, which is perhaps why the movie didnt connect with audiences. Wans films are still scary, but he doesnt allow the darkness to win in quite the same way anymore.

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Daniel Kurland is a freelance writer, comedian, and critic, who lives in the cultural mosaic that is Brooklyn, New York. Daniels work can be read on ScreenRant, Splitsider, Bloody Disgusting, Den of Geek, and across the Internet. He recently completed work on a noir anthology graphic novel titled, "Sylvia Plaths The Bell Noir: A Rag of Bizarre Noir and Hard Boiled Tales" and hes currently toiling away on his first novel.Daniel knows that "Psycho II" is better than the original, that the finale of "How I Met Your Mother" doesnt deserve the hate that it receives, and that Garth Ennis run of "Animal Man" may be the best superhero story of all time. Hes a fan of white grape juice and appreciates a good Fuji apple.The owls are not what they seem.

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James Wans Scariest Movie Was Made Before The Conjuring (& It's Not Saw) - Screen Rant

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero