Insidious: Chapter 2

Pumping out two movies in one year is no mean feat for a director but James Wan has somehow managed it. Following the critical and commercial success of The Conjuring earlier this year, we are now being treated to a follow up to his 2011 horror, Insidious. The first Insidious was genuinely creepy with some memorable scares, great performances and an original plot involving astral projection.

Having saved his son from the spirit world at the end of the first movie, Josh (Patrick Wilson) has returned but has seemingly brought something back with him and his family continues to be haunted by a malevolent presence. Wilson delivers a fantastically twitchy performance, reminiscent of Jack Nicholson in the Shining, getting more and more aggressive as it becomes clear he is not quite himself.

Despite being a sequel to a horror film, Insidious: Chapter 2 eschews the typical jump scares for a supernatural mystery style. The mysterious old lady in black from the first Insidious serves as the main antagonist this time around, her motives and past providing the drive for the narrative. There are a few scary moments but these are few and far between, none of which recall the bone chilling moments of the first film. Fans of the first and horror fans in general are likely to be frustrated and disappointed by the lack of actual horror. Those wanting to be scared will be slightly confused by odd change in tone, especially given the number of comedic scenes in the sequel. While they are mostly funny, some fall flat and it creates some awkward shifts in tone, sometimes during tense scenes.

Visually this film feels less polished than the first Insidious, the fantastic lighting and cinematography missing this time around and replaced by an oddly low budget look. The scenes set in the spirit realm were enveloped in pitch black in the first film, creating a unique atmosphere and tension, but it seems brighter and less daunting this time around. Make up and costumes seem cheaper and less frightening. The clever camera work and editing Wan used in The Conjuring is also missing here.

However, for a horror film that isn’t scary and has so many other shortcomings, Insidious: Chapter 2 still manages to be very entertaining. While most horror sequels amount to nothing more than rehashes of the first film with different characters, this feels like a genuine continuation and a step in a different direction. The characters that were developed so well in the first film are able to deal with the consequence of what has happened and are presented with a very different challenge. The horror and tension doesn’t come from ghosts, but from an increasingly unstable husband.  There are some grace notes to horror classics, most notable Psycho. The mystery is presented in a pleasingly non-linear fashion, as the plot device of astral projection is extended to time travel and multiple plot threads converge to a tense climax. What results is a mixed bag of tongue in cheek comedy and few scares, but an undoubtedly original and interesting storyline.

Is it scary? No. Is it goofy? Yes. Is it fun? Absolutely. 

 If you like this try: Ghostbusters II (1989), Evil Dead II (1987)