Insidious: Chapter 2 Film Review

by The World Weary

Director: James Wan

Cast: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins, Lin Shaye, Angus Sampson, Leigh Whannell, Steve Coulter

Series: Insidious

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Length: 105 Minutes

 

Dark Vader 

 

(This review features heavy spoilers for Insidious).

As far as supernatural horror goes, most recent entries in the genre have been easily forgettable. Even 2011’s Insidious was somewhat disappointing, despite having a solid opening act and brilliant sound. Until The Conjuring, horror fans were best off watching old classics like The Shining and The Exorcist. With such a powerful and positive response to The Conjuring, James Wan alleged that he was taking things he learned from that experience and applying them to his follow up to Insidious. Sadly, it seems he was just blowing smoke, as Insidious: Chapter 2 is a mostly stale exercise in conventional PG-13 horror.

Insidious Film Review

by The World Weary

Director: James Wan
Cast: Rose Byrne, Patrick Wilson, Ty Simpkins, Lin Shaye
Series: Insidious
MPAA Rating: PG-13  
Length: 102 Minutes 

Buy on Amazon!  

 

Lost Souls

When it comes to supernatural horror, usually smaller, more personal stories, allow the audience to better connect with the events on screen, luring them into the world and priming them for some great scares. Take The Exorcist for example. The story revolves around one neglectful parent’s fight to save her demonically possessed child from a powerful evil. That small plot alone is filled with metaphor and emotional impact, which is one of the reasons why that film has been so successful. Insidious follows the same basic premise, but ultimately the writers try to add too much of an epic good versus evil feel to what should have been a film as intimate as The Exorcist.