Starring: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins, Lin Shaye, Barbara Hershey, Steve Coulter, Leigh Whannell, Angus Sampson and Andrew Astor
Directed by: James Wan
Written by: Leigh Whannell (screenplay) & James Wan (story)
Running time: 105 minutes
Rated: PG-13 (for intense sequences of terror and violence, and thematic elements)
The first Insidious film when it was released in 2010 was a breath of fresh air for the horror genre. It was a remarkable
movie in that it brought legitimate frights and tons of spooky atmosphere with only a PG-13 rating. It had the awesome collaboration of producing know-how with powerhouse horror producers Jason Blum (Paranormal Activity films, Sinister, The Purge) and Oren Peli (Paranormal Activity films, The River, Chernobyl Diaries) combined with writer Leigh Whannell (Saw films, Dead Silence) & genius director James Wan (The Conjuring, Saw, Dead Silence) all combined to make the perfect storm of horror films. Due to the success of the first film, the same team is back again to bring us the second installment in the series, Insidious: Chapter 2. The entire original cast of Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins, Barbara Hershey, Lin Shaye, Leigh Whannell and Angus Sampson are back as well. I suppose the big question is whether or not lighting can strike in the same place twice? To find out, you’re going to have to read on down below.
In Insidious: Chapter 2 we pick right back up with the Lambert family immediately following the events of the first film where Josh (Wilson) has come back from the spirit world (known as “The Further”) after saving his son Dalton (Simpkins). If you remember from the final seconds of the first film, things are not quite over for the family as the hauntings continue to increase and Josh begins to exhibit strange new behavior. Meanwhile, Josh’s mother Lorraine (Hershey) and wife Renai (Byrne) seek out ghost hunting geeks, Specs (Whannell) and Tucker (Sampson) along with old friend Carl (Steve Coulter) to help find answers. To do so, they must look back into the past to end the horrific events of the present before all is lost.
With this film, the makers cleverly fill in backstory of the first movie to advance the plot of Chapter 2. Whereas the first film was primarily about bringing Dalton back from The Further, this film goes off in a different direction and becomes more of a whodunit. Even though this is a direct sequel, it feels a little different tonally because the duo of Specs and
Tucker have a larger role in this film, thusly adding a bit more comic relief, which dilutes some of the horror elements. I’m ok with that because their characters are enjoyable and really are the constant, melding the first two films together.
We learned from the original that Josh had been an accomplished “traveler” when he was Dalton’s age and was befriended by the evil old woman in the further. In Chapter 2, we get more backstory about Josh and Lorraine and how they came to meet Elise, which the filmmakers tied into the plot very adeptly, as this film spans time and space in very interesting ways that I never saw coming.
The acting I thought was wonderful as Wilson’s role has a little more meat to it than the first film, which only cemented my opinions of his acting skills. Byrne turns in a good performance as Renai, although her role is somewhat overshadowed by Hershey’s expanded part in this film, which is too bad because I really like Byrne’s character. As I mentioned before, Whannell and Sampson’s duo are highly enjoyable, adding a brief respite from the onscreen horrors. Also, we’re introduced to the new character Carl, played superbly by Steve Coulter, who is an old friend from Elise and Lorraine’s past.
The real guts of the film, so to speak, come from James Wan’s expert direction and his knowledge of how to really scare an audience. He proves to have a keen eye for what’s frightening and then maximizes it onscreen. There are the usual jump scares which are effective, but even more so are the string musical stings that have become synonymous with the Insidious films.
For a sequel, Insidious: Chapter 2 is unique in that it really melds with its predecessor in a way that fans will really enjoy. You really have to know the details of the first film to get the maximum results from Chapter 2, so I would highly recommend watching the original if you haven’t seen it yet or revisit it before you watch this film.
In the end, I really enjoyed Insidious: Chapter 2 for being an effective haunted house film. Harsher critics might balk at the plot, citing its repetitiveness to the original, but for me it wasn’t just more of the same, it truly expanded upon the first film in a really unique way. While this film isn’t as straight of a horror flick that Insidious was, I surprisingly approve of the added laughs. Normally, I hate when humor is added to dilute straight horror and it may turn off the die hards, but in this case it works. Chapter 2 delivers on the scares and expands upon the mythology set up in the original. I highly recommend Insidious: Chapter 2!
4 out of 5 Pentagrams!
Watch the trailer for Insidious: Chapter 2 here:
So…I watched this movie in the theaters when it first came out and I can not remember doing so. I was completely sober not drunk or under the influence and just could not seeing this movie. My roommate told me I didn’t like it and played the trailer for me to jog my memory. I STILL did not remember the flick so I watched the movie again…fell asleep…and again it does not resonate with me. I’ve heard good things but I just could not get into the movie, so the fact that there are two more being put out…meh…