Insidious: Chapter 2

Starring: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins, Lin Shaye, Angus Sampson, Barbara Hershey, Steve Coulter
Directed by: James Wan
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Horror, Thriller
2013

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: The Lambert family tries to get back to a normal life, but soon realize the supernatural force isn't ready to let them go.

Review:

Tim:
It's surprising that James Wan delivered a solid, entertaining film in Insidious. I love that he delivered a good horror movie (it's not easy to do). I was pretty excited to see this film, as Wan returned to direct and brought back the entire cast from the original film. That's rare in horror movies. Insidious: Chapter 2 isn't quite as good as the original, but it's a fairly decent sequel.

The biggest strength is easily the cast. I love that everyone came back for this film. That's so important and cannot be overlooked. We've come to understand these characters and I loved getting a chance to see them again. Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne are good actors and it was fun seeing them again. Ty Simpkins has some real talent, and Barbara Hershey is always fun to watch. This movie wouldn't have been nearly as good without the cast in place.

One of the best aspects of the first film was that rather than tell a typical ghost story, the film explored this interesting concept of astral projections. Of course, we still got quite a lot of the supernatural evil entities, but the context was a little different. That made the film feel special and original. This movie doesn't focus as much on that aspect, but it does feel like a logical progression of the story. That's one of the big challenges horror sequels have. The story in sequels almost always feels forced. That wasn't the case here- this movie builds on the events of the first film wonderfully. That's one of it's biggest strengths.

This movie seemed significantly less frightening than the original. The first film felt so fresh and there was so much uncertainty. That kept me engaged in the story, wondering how it would all turn out. A lot of the questions in the first film were answered, so this film didn't have nearly the same level of intrigue. I also felt like the story was a little too safe. I wasn't nearly as engaged in the story. The whole thing with the white ghost lady just didn't seem nearly as exciting or interesting as it should have been. I wasn't on the edge of my seat nearly as much a I should have been.

While Insidious: Chapter 2 isn't as good as the first film, it gets pretty close in overall quality. In a world where most horror sequels are bitter disappointments, this was a pleasant surprise. I still can't claim this is a good movie, but it's a decent film, and I'll take that.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Insidious, The Conjuring, Paranormal Activity, The Entity, White Noise, Poltergeist