Oltre i confini del male - Insidious 2

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 you are making a horror movie it always helps to have a few things around in the movie in order to help set the mood. Things like creaky old doors, a piano, and preferably an old and creepy looking house. Now these are not absolutes, but they can help for sure. Horror movies are not like other movies, because there are so many possibilities for sequels, just look at the "Friday the 13th" series. In 2011 James Wan and Leigh Whannell brought us "Insidious", a story about a family that had unwelcome visitors in their house. The supernatural kind.

That family, the Lamberts, have gotten away from their house and the experience they had in it. Josh (Patrick Wilson), Renai (Rose Byrne), and their three children are all safe and move in with Josh's mom. At the beginning of the film you find out this is not Josh's fist experience with a sprit. It seems Josh has a gift where he sees dead people and with the help from Elise (Lin Shaye) he forgets that gift, until he uses it again to save his son from a place the living shouldn't be. That place I imagine is the same place Carol Anne from "Poltergeist" was in as well, but instead of talking through a TV, a tin can phone is used to communicate to the other side. Renai senses something is not right about Josh, a sentiment that is shared by Josh's mother as well. So with the help from a man named Carl (Steve Coulter) and two guys who provide the comic relief, they all set out to free Josh and his family from the evil that haunts them.

The story picks up exactly where the first film ended, which makes the chapter 2 a perfect title. There are so many more possible chapters to this story, because let's face it there are a lot of ghosts out there. "Insidious: Chapter 2" is part ghost story and part detective story, as we try to unravel what is following the Lamberts around. Lucky, unlike what he did with "Saw" we are still under the direction of James Wan and he keeps us on the same path as the first film. If you are going for jump out of your seat frights, then this is not the film for you. There are some moments that may make you jump a little, thanks to some good camera work, but this movie is more like "Seven" than say, "The Conjuring". In a genre that seems to be getting everything right at the moment, "Insidious: Chapter 2" doesn't disappoint. The only thing that could improve, is to have a little less common sense moments, you know those moments where a character does the thing everyone knows they shouldn't. I think it is very fitting to release this film on Friday the 13th, because like that franchise, you hope this one also has a long life making us afraid to sleep with the lights off.

Brian Taylor

http://the2cinemen.blogspot.com/

There is something more frightening than any curse or apparition that resides in movies; it is the blight of terrible sequel, and Insidious: Chapter 2 is haunted by it. Audience would come and expect the same terror from the original, but sadly will only find inferior version of it, a formulaic possession horror flick with little charm and plenty of high pitch noises. To its credit, it does bring some good acting and direction. The script also works as a continuation, but perhaps because the mystery has dwindled; it only manages to be an average horror without the same chill its predecessor has.

Story follows the events of Insidious where Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson) returned with his son from the Further, an astral realm. However, an entity is believed to be latching onto him as the clairvoyance Elise Ranier (Lin Shaye) is found dead near him. His family grows restless from the apparent continuous haunting and ultimately tries to solve the problem despite the grim obstacles ahead. The plot is rather bland, there's simply a lack of tension as the terrorizing entity is somewhat predictable and plastic.

Patrick Wilson delivers a good performance, he displays more variety of emotions to establish the dread. In some scenes he gives off cold enigmatic feel to puzzle the audience. Returning cast reprise their roles, Ross Bryne as Renai Lambert does a fine job, although her display of motherly concern at the first title was slightly better. The two ghost hunters are back, this time for more comedy relief than anything. There are probably too many humorous scenes, some are unintentional, in this sequel.

Its use of music is cringe-worthy, in fact even with only the sound, it'd be quite terrifying. The scares don't have the same weight though, as they are reduced to simple bursts rather than real frightful ones. James Wan's camera angle is great; he casually makes the viewers think there might be more in scenes than there really are, especially with a hint of contrasting color, shadowy background or some objects in outer peripheral vision.

The movie does poorly when the mystic of its entities is unveiled. Getting into fisticuffs with ghosts diminish the atmosphere since they seem unreal, part of me inadvertently immediately knew it's just make-up and sound effect put together for an illusion. Take away the jarring build up, replace it with mediocre possession scheme, even if the directing is well done, and you'll have a subpar sequel. It still performs its scare tricks decently, so at the very least it'll make you flinch a couple of times.

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.