Insidious: Chapter 2 - A Movie Review

You mean we still have a ghost problem in our home. I thought it was under control.

Following the events of the first film, Insidious: Chapter 2 was released in 2013. After the haunting events, The Lamberts discover that they still have yet to beat the evil. Getting behind the dark stories, secrets are uncovered in the ghost universe.

Because I enjoyed the first Insidious, I wanted to see how the events would unfold in Chapter 2. Continuing in the dark atmosphere and well-achieved cinematography, the story of the second film wasn’t the strongest element.

The cast of Insidious: Chapter 2 sells well-acted moments of horror. Patrick Wilson is an incredible actor. Channeling the evil nature of his character, Wilson demonstrates his impressive abilities as an actor.

I wish Lin Shaye could have been in the film more. Taking her place, Steve Colter was wonderful in his performance as Carl. Credits also go to Rose Byrne, Barbara Hershey, Ty Simpkins, and the excellent comedic duo, Leigh Whannell and Angus Sampson.

Huge credit goes to Hank Harris, Jocelin Donahue, and Lindsay Seim for their performances as the younger counterparts of significant characters. I did not realize until the credits that Danielle Bisutti played the scary ghost. Fans of the show, True Jackson V.P. are sure to recognize her.

In contrast to the last film where it was one cohesive story, each character has their own separate storyline where they are getting scared by something. The sequel should have had a stronger story. By the climax, there were too many action sequences with the characters confronting and fighting with each other.

The film relied heavily on jump scares, which were genuine, I will give the film credit for that. James Wan knows how to do horror - specifically the haunted house trope. His use of cinematography excelled as the camera slowly followed characters or panned the room scanning every dark corner. The lighting was also put to good dramatic use in scenes.

Except, Wan overdid it with the horror angle at times. You could sense a jump scare was coming based on the music growing increasingly louder. The makeup team deserves a hand for their fantastic effects to make the ghosts look frightening. The ghosts and ghouls all looked fantastic.

The story of Insidious: Chapter 2 keeps audiences engaged - up until a certain point. I found myself losing interest by the end. It kept splitting between storylines. The jump scares are effective. But, it lacks tension and fails to make you feel sympathy for the characters. As I said, too much action occurs in the last act of the film. It felt rushed.

Writers struggled with that to do with some characters, particularly the kids and Lin Shaye’s character. It takes its time to tell the story. Dalton should have been in the story more seeing as what his character went through in the first.

The film, instead, focused on the baby of the family. Why not Dalton? He only has a couple of significant horror scenes, but then he is forgotten within all the chaos. And most of the characters feel like they are only reacting to horrors and not playing their personalities.

Some elements reminded me of The Shining. Writers could have spent more time developing the story, before putting it on the big screen.

The sequel to Insidious doesn’t hold up to the first, but I still had fun watching it. The Insidious franchise is a nail-biting series. Take caution as it is scary. You never know when a jump scare will come. Otherwise, make some popcorn and enjoy.