James Wan’s Insidious: Chapter 2 may have been a somewhat forced sequel after the major success of the first film, but Wan does everything in his power to make it one that not only holds up to the original, but takes you deeper into the further in a strange as hell ride. Wan has stated that this will mark his last film in the genre as he moves on to newer and exciting things so it’s no surprise that he really wanted to leave behind a wickedly weird and entertaining flick that is riddled with enough scares to make Insidious: Chapter 2 an absolute blast. The sequel picks up right where the original left off as the haunted Lambert family seeks to uncover the mysterious childhood secret that has left them dangerously connected to the spirit world.
Wan handles his sequel in the exact way that it should have been as it literally picks up from the moment the original leaves off without skipping a beat. The film digs even deeper into the further that Wan created in the original and the result is some clown-shit crazy fun. I loved that you’re essentially required to watch the original flick before heading into this one otherwise you would be more lost than Patrick Wilson trapped in the further. It’s an ideal sequel that delivers on the ideas that the original left behind while expanding the world it created.
Patrick Wilson really dialed in on this one. Watching him go all Jack Torrence on his family was definitely a surprise and an awesome one at that. Leigh Whannell and Angus Sampson, as the returning psychic investigators Specs and Tucker made for some solid tension relief. It felt as if those characters exist solely for the purpose of not taking the film too seriously, which actually turned out perfectly because the sequel is so far out there that we definitely need a couple of characters to provide a few smiles here and there. And I can’t forget to mention Danielle Bisutti who you’ll see in the picture above. She is responsible for a lot of the creeps that get under your skin throughout the film, and while she only gets one scene with dialog, it’s a memorable one as she pulls off the psycho bitchtacular mother brilliantly. You really don’t see her much in the film, but when you do, you can expect some horror induced goosebumps.
Insidious: Chapter 2 turned out to be a surprisingly solid sequel that delivers on the scares and was thoroughly entertaining. It’s such a strange sequel that I get the feeling that Wan and Whannell were just trying to mess with us. There was an interview with the filmmakers who said that because this was a sequel it aloud them to do some “crazy” stuff with it—and that they did! It’s a film that could easily be a turn off for some, but if you enjoyed the original flick even just a little, and you don’t mind turning your brain off for a couple of hours, it’s an absolute blast that will have you smiling one second and gripping your seat the next. While this is said to be Wan’s last film in the horror genre, I hope that we one day see him return because he has really become a force in the world of horror and one that will surely be missed.
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Nice review man. Definitely looking forward to catching this one. Am always a fan of sequels that start off right where the first ended.
Thanks man! Yea same here. I hate when they call it a sequel and it features totally different characters. Who want’s to see that?
Hmmmm, I liked Patrick Wilson in The Conjuring and this doesn’t sound half bad, might have to give it a shot.
Wilson is awesome. He’s especially good in this one too. It was fun seeing him go a bit crazy!
San, make sure you see the original first if you haven’t already.
Will do Gary, I have not seen it as of yet. Thanks for the heads up.
Oh ok, well yeah, be sure to watch the first one; i think you will like it as it’s pretty good, and has a couple genuine freaky moments; the sequel I cannot say b/c I haven’t seen it yet, but I suspect the original will be much better, so even if the sequel isn’t great, I think you’ll at least enjoy the original. 🙂
Yea if you don’t see the original film first you will be more than lost. So if you plan on giving this one a go, you pretty much have to watch the first one.
Ryan, I’ve been bogged down the last couple of weeks, and have not made it to this one yet, but plan to this week, or next. You finally beat me on a new release! lol.
BTW, have you seen “The Conjuring” or “You’re Next” yet? If so, what did you think?
Yea man, surprisingly my theater actually got something on time! I’m seeing a lot of bad reviews floating around for this one but I thought it was really entertaining and had a lot of fun with it.
I did finally get to see The Conjuring, and to put it shortly, I loved it. The pacing was refreshing, it had an old school horror vibe. The ending was pretty wicked as well. 4 out of 5!
Awesome, I thought you’d like The Conjuring; you were the one who turned me on to it all the way back in January.
Also, not sure if you got my e-mail, but I wrote back to you a couple weeks ago after I saw “You’re Next” and told you that my bad feeling was wrong, and that I liked it a lot! I think you will, as well. 🙂
Sorry, probably just lost it in the sea of emails! So glad to hear you liked You’re Next, I’ve had high hopes for that one for so long that it’s nice to see it live up to the hype. I still havn’t been able to see it. Will have to wait until it hits shelves unfortunately. I’m pretty sure I’m going to dig it!
Good stuff Ryan, glad you liked it. Wan will return to horror. He admitted last year (or so) he would re-visit Saw one day. 🙂
Thanks man! I really hope so. The horror genre needs guys like Wan.
I was so impressed with this sequel and liked/was terrified seeing Patrick Wilson go a little crazy. Can’t wait for the next chapter of The Conjuring!!
Agreed, Wilson was awesome in this one! So happy to see that he and Farmiga both signed on for another go as the Warrens as well. Should be a blast.
Nice review. I enjoyed this one too.
Nice, glad to hear it! It was pretty damn entertaining, and some solid scares for sure.
Reblogged this on HORROR BOOM and commented:
Another positive review of Insidious Chapter 2 (from someone whose opinion we trust). We’re looking forward to seeing it this weekend. Okay, Mrs. Horror Boom is looking forward to it, Mr HB not so much… but both of us saw Insidious in the theater, so neither of us will be lost. Can’t wait to see ‘The Bride In Black’ again (if that’s what they’re calling the creepy old woman in black with the candle from the original), though mid-movie, we might be regretting that statement. Dig into this review from Rhino’s Horror!