इंसिडियस: चैप्टर 2

I really liked the first Insidious and though it was suspenseful and creepy, after seeing Insidious: Chapter 2 I thought it was a good sequal taking place after the first.

It was creepy and suspenseful and the acting from Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne and Lin Shaye were still really good also the child acting was pretty good.

James Wan made a good sequal to a really good movie, the movie is a possession movie but it changes it up and does something new that works well.

I won't spoil how the first Insidious movie ended just in case you haven't seen it, but I think this is worth watching like the first.

Supernatural horror plenty of weird phenomenon , frights , creepy beings , shocks , and eerie events . The Lambert family formed by father (Patrick Wilson) , mother (Rose Byrne) and children move temporarily into the old house of Lorraine Lambert (Barbara Hershey). Lorraine is the old friend of formerly deceased Elise Rainier (Lim Shaye) , she brings again the group of ghost hunters Specs (Leigh Whannell , also screenwriter) and Tucker (Angus Sampson) to resolve the ghastly mystery . The haunted Lambert family seeks to uncover the mysterious childhood secret that has left them dangerously connected to the spirit world . Little do they know that the house is haunted . The family looks to prevent evil spirits from a realm called The Further .

This is a haunted child movie that contains restless horror as when the invisible and threatening beings attack . The story is split between the present day and 1986, where a young Elise Rainier is called in to help Lorraine Lambert and her son , again starred by Patrick Wilson as Josh Lambert , Rose Byrne as Renai Lambert , Ty Simpkins as Dalton , Lin Shaye a Elise Rainier , Barbara Hershey as Lorraine Lambert , Steve Coulter as Carl and Leigh Whannell as Specs . Tension , creepy atmosphere , genuine chills , suspense is continued and appear lurking and menacing into dining room , hallway , basement and rooms . Great loads of screams , shocks , exploitation and terror abound with the usual poltergeists phenomenon caused by the weird entities . It's recreated with magnificent make-up and high grade plethora special effects which are frightening and horrifying the spectator . Writer Leigh Whannell stated at the Toronto Film Festival that when he wrote the film he had a list of horror movie clichés posted above him, so he could avoid using them ; he said the first one was to make sure the family moved into a new house once the haunting started . Eerie musical score by Joseph Bishara creating a spooky atmosphere. Dark as well atmospheric cinematography by John R. Leonetti ; a majority of the film was shot inside Linda Vista Community Hospital, which also doubles as the abandoned hospital that the characters visit .

The film was well directed by James Wan and it was shot in just a few weeks ; he even has a cameo on a computer wallpaper with Specs and Tucker . Wan is an expert writer and filmmaker on terror genre as he has demonstrated in ¨Saw¨ saga , ¨Dead silence¨, among others . James Wan subsequently directed ¨The Conjuring¨ also starred by Patrick Wilson , another terror film in which keeps it horror with yet another haunted house film . And of course , his biggest success ¨Insidious¨ , it was followed by this ¨Insidious Chapter 2¨ . Furthermore , producers are preparing ¨Insidious 3¨, as Leigh Whannell himself announced that actor Dermot Mulroney will star in Insidious: Chapter 3, making for a choice that many genre fans should love . This third film will be directed and written by Leigh Whannell . Jason Blum and his Blumhouse Productions, which produced both Insidious and Insidious: Chapter 2, is producing the next installment along with Oren Peli and James Wan . Steven Schneider, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Peter Schlessel, Lia Buman and Entertainment One's Xavier Marchand are exec producing.

This could be one of those rare occasions where the sequel is actually better than the first movie. The linking back to the first movie was absolutely fantastic and the continuous suspense created through really kept you on the edge of your seat.

I will say that this ideally needs to be watched right after the first movie as there is a lot of references that link back. But if you do this really is a great sequel.

I mentioned the suspense and it really does keep you on the edge of your seat throughout, similar to the first installment in that I thought that the jump scares felt a bit too obvious, but it really keeps you in suspense from the get go.

I thought the characters in the first felt a little boring, however in this one they all started to come into their own and it was all just well acted.

With the plot essentially carrying on right where the first ended, i had doubts that it would be a little boring and maybe repetitive. But, it was a really engrossing storyline that had me wondering constantly.

I do genuinely believe that this movie is a better watch than the first, just make sure you have recently watched the first.

It took me a while to watch 'Insidious' and its follow ups, with so much going on with my studies and commitments and with an ever growing watch and review list. Decided to finally watch them all, with the intent of reviewing the latest film as part of my quest to see as many 2018 films as possible and wanting to see how it compared with the previous outings. Also with an appreciation, if not quite undying love, for horror.

Although there are people who understandably dislike it, found myself enjoying the first 'Insidious'. It didn't blow me away but it was well made and genuinely scary. So watched 'Insidious: Chapter 2' hoping it would be as good. 'Insidious: Chapter 2' for me was a watchable second entry but comparing it to the first, it is not as good and a disappointment in comparison. There are big drawbacks but there are good things here too.

First and foremost, 'Insidious' llooks great, especially for horror films released in recent years (too many of which have looked like they were made on the schlocky cheap). It looks slick and stylish while having a spooky setting and suitably nightmarish lighting. The effects are also suitably eerie. Although a bit too loud in spots, the music is hauntingly atmospheric.

James Wan directs with ease and real engagement and there are some genuine shocks and some creepy scares and dread. The first part is not as restrained as the first part of the first film, but when the film takes more time it is very effective. The acting, with the first film's cast returning, is good, with a particularly strong performance from Patrick Wilson. Did care for the characters, they were not ones that bored or frustrated me. The threat looks good and provides some eeriness.

Regrettably, 'Insidious: Chapter 2' has drawbacks. It does lack tension and suspense and other scares are predictable and felt like throwing in as many horror elements as one can muster regardless of originality. Some of the film is on the dull side, while the second half gets far too camp and histrionic, towards the end things get so over-the-top and senseless that one is laughing rather than feeling scared.

Moreover, 'Insidious: Chapter 2' fails to make sense and gets muddled in the latter stages, with an ending that's rushed, convoluted, silly and clichéd. The first film was derivative, this is even more so with the similarities to 'Psycho' and 'The Shining' being blatant and somehow not feeling like homages. The predictability factor is high and the script is also far worse here, very awkward and corny with some comedy that felt like it just didn't belong.

Concluding, a watchable second entry but underwhelming. 5/10 Bethany Cox

When I heard that they were making a sequel to this, I was both over-hyped with excitement and very nervous because let's face it, sequels rarely live up to the expectations of the originals. Thankfully though, this one did not disappoint (relative to the extent of other sequels).

It starts off directly where the original left off, which is nice because there is not a huge time gap in-between. Not only do they continue chapter 2 right where the first chapter left off, but the story also goes more in-depth with Josh's past.

Will every hard-core fan of Insidious be impressed by this sequel? Of course not. Insidious: Chapter 2 felt very different from the original. It was mostly because Insidious seemed more unique when it came out, while this chapter is more of the same with a few exceptions (e.g., possession). Without giving any major spoilers away, I will say that the last 30 minutes seemed more of a "slasher" movie than a paranormal movie, which may turn some hard-core Insidious fans away.

The scares also seemed forced at times, possibly from trying too hard to make the sequel as good, if not, better than the original, but it was still suspenseful regardless.

Overall 6/10