With Insidious, way back in 2011, James Wan proved he had a great eye for the horror genre, using some old school tactics to scare people senseless, with not a drop of gore in sight, while delivering a unique story, complete with astral projection and an alternate dimension full of ghosts called The Further, that admittedly got a bit too bonkers in it's third act. He cemented his reputation with this Summer's The Conjuring, and while that film is still scaring up big business in cinemas, Wan brings us Insidious: Chapter Two, which does away with that rule that every horror sequel must be a carbon copy of the movie before it. This sequel is a much different animal than the original, delving more into the history of the Lambert family and delivering something more akin to a supernatural mystery than straight up scary movie.
Kicking off with a flashback elaborating on events only touched on in the original, Chapter Two picks up right where the first movie ended, with Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson) freshly returned from The Further after rescuing his son Dalton (Ty Simpkins) from an army of ghosts who attempted to take over his body. But it soon becomes clear, much to his wife Renai's (Rose Byrne) horror, that Josh didn't return alone. While his mother Lorraine (Barbara Hershey) and a team of ghost hunters investigate the mystery surrounding the ghost that has travelled to this world with her son, Renai finds her life, and the life of her family, to be in grave danger.
First off, if you haven't seen the first Insidious, rectify that before you see Chapter Two. While most horror sequels try to make themselves open to new viewers, that is not the case here. The chapter two in the title isn't just for show, this is a proper continuation of the story started in the first movie (even presenting scenes from a different point of view), surging ahead and adding new wrinkles to the already rich mythology. But this refreshing approach to horror sequels does bring its own set of problems. Now, there is nothing wrong with Wan's directing style. He is at his usual best, effortlessly crafting the right amount of tension (coupled with some brilliant visual sleight of hand), and waiting one beat longer than usual before delivering the scares, lulling the audience into a false sense of security. But the story he and screenwriter Leigh Whannell (pulling double duty as ghost hunter Specs) have crafted here puts the scares on the back burner, at times feeling like they are manufactured just to squeeze a few minutes out of the screen time. In fact, some scenes having no baring on the actual story at all. After a great first act, setting up the stakes perfectly, it spends most of the second act spinning it's wheels, waiting for the mystery to be unravelled so it can let all hell break loose for the finale. Another problem is The Further itself, which was the weakest part of the first film. There it only made an appearance in the third act, but for Chapter Two, it is much more prevalent, present from the opening scene. While it is a great idea on paper, it's execution is way too over the top, the ghosts looking more ridiculous than scary, their faces caked in white grease paint. But for all it's problems, it is still immensely enjoyable, more so when you realise that this isn't you usual horror sequel.
Patrick Wilson puts in a great turn, keeping you guessing on his motives, and delivering some true menace when the mystery comes to light. After having most of the screen time in the original, Rose Byrne is pretty under used here, relegated to reacting to scary noises and screaming. The film benefits from a lightness in tone in the form of odd couple ghost busters Specs and Tucker (Angus Sampson), who have their roles expanded from the original, and if the cliff hanger ending is anything to go by, will play a bigger part in the inevitable third installment.
While not containing scares half as good as the original or The Conjuring, Insidious: Chapter Two crafts an entertaining and enjoyable story, and, if it continues, promises a horror franchise a step above the rest.
Kicking off with a flashback elaborating on events only touched on in the original, Chapter Two picks up right where the first movie ended, with Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson) freshly returned from The Further after rescuing his son Dalton (Ty Simpkins) from an army of ghosts who attempted to take over his body. But it soon becomes clear, much to his wife Renai's (Rose Byrne) horror, that Josh didn't return alone. While his mother Lorraine (Barbara Hershey) and a team of ghost hunters investigate the mystery surrounding the ghost that has travelled to this world with her son, Renai finds her life, and the life of her family, to be in grave danger.
First off, if you haven't seen the first Insidious, rectify that before you see Chapter Two. While most horror sequels try to make themselves open to new viewers, that is not the case here. The chapter two in the title isn't just for show, this is a proper continuation of the story started in the first movie (even presenting scenes from a different point of view), surging ahead and adding new wrinkles to the already rich mythology. But this refreshing approach to horror sequels does bring its own set of problems. Now, there is nothing wrong with Wan's directing style. He is at his usual best, effortlessly crafting the right amount of tension (coupled with some brilliant visual sleight of hand), and waiting one beat longer than usual before delivering the scares, lulling the audience into a false sense of security. But the story he and screenwriter Leigh Whannell (pulling double duty as ghost hunter Specs) have crafted here puts the scares on the back burner, at times feeling like they are manufactured just to squeeze a few minutes out of the screen time. In fact, some scenes having no baring on the actual story at all. After a great first act, setting up the stakes perfectly, it spends most of the second act spinning it's wheels, waiting for the mystery to be unravelled so it can let all hell break loose for the finale. Another problem is The Further itself, which was the weakest part of the first film. There it only made an appearance in the third act, but for Chapter Two, it is much more prevalent, present from the opening scene. While it is a great idea on paper, it's execution is way too over the top, the ghosts looking more ridiculous than scary, their faces caked in white grease paint. But for all it's problems, it is still immensely enjoyable, more so when you realise that this isn't you usual horror sequel.
Patrick Wilson puts in a great turn, keeping you guessing on his motives, and delivering some true menace when the mystery comes to light. After having most of the screen time in the original, Rose Byrne is pretty under used here, relegated to reacting to scary noises and screaming. The film benefits from a lightness in tone in the form of odd couple ghost busters Specs and Tucker (Angus Sampson), who have their roles expanded from the original, and if the cliff hanger ending is anything to go by, will play a bigger part in the inevitable third installment.
While not containing scares half as good as the original or The Conjuring, Insidious: Chapter Two crafts an entertaining and enjoyable story, and, if it continues, promises a horror franchise a step above the rest.
