Review: Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)

Cast: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Barbara Hershey
Director: James Wan
Country: USA
Genre: Horror | Thriller
Official Trailer: Here

Editor’s Notes: Insidious: Chapter 2 is now open in wide release. For an additional perspective on the film please read Mel’s review.

Despite Insidious: Chapter 2 being nowhere near as effective than its predecessor, it still manages to be a fun sequel that thankfully isn’t just a cash grab – there is some ambition here. This time Wan trades in scares for story, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Picking up just moments after the first film, Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson) has brought something evil back with him from the spirit realm known as “The Further” and his wife Renai (Rose Byrne) starts to notice that he’s acting strange. Meanwhile Dalton having just awoken from his coma is still being haunted in his sleep – these two events lead to a series of questions that require them to solve an old case to figure out how the Lambert family can return to normal.

Unlike most horror sequels, Insidious Chapter 2 requires a very detailed knowledge of the first film. Those who walk into this flick not having seen the original are going to have a tough time ingesting this one.

Unlike most horror sequels, Insidious Chapter 2 requires a very detailed knowledge of the first film. Those who walk into this flick not having seen the original are going to have a tough time ingesting this one. Though Insidious was generally well received by audiences, the third act of the film was polarizing for some. Insidious Chapter 2 is essentially that third act extended for another two hours, so those that felt the last 30 minutes of Insidious ruined the film should avoid this sequel.

There is no doubt that Wan is a skilled horror-engineer, but after watching Insidious Chapter 2 it’s easy to see why he wants to leave the genre behind for a bit. While his films are far from narratively innovative his precise work behind the camera leaves him with infinite variations on old-school horror tricks that in different hands could be extremely dull.

As far as sequels are concerned Wan and Whannel deserve credit for not making this just a simple cash grab and lazily throwing this one at audiences. There is a level of ambition here as a horror film has never been approached this one, trading scares for story was an interesting choice – though fear of this film being too similar to The Conjuring might have had something to do with that. The stylistic decision actually works in the films benefit, but where it’s lacking is in surprises (other than sudden loud noises).

 There is no doubt that Wan is a skilled horror-engineer, but after watching Insidious Chapter 2 it’s easy to see why he wants to leave the genre behind for a bit.

Insidious had twists and turns that made the audience re-evaluate their perspective on characters and their current situation, which made the film engaging. Unfortunately that sequel doesn’t capture that same level of interest. While the film works for a bit it’s not long before it becomes tedious, and even there are some rather bold narrative choices that should wake people up occasionally the plot twists are fairly nonsensical. I wouldn’t be surprised if those that thought the Inception-style plotline was ridiculous walk out when a Back To The Futureish one is added.

Insidious Chapter 2 is a fun sequel that Wan and Whannel took a chance with. While we should be glad that it wasn’t just a boring cash grab it is filled with flaws that the first film didn’t have. It’s hard to say how this film we do with audiences, but horror junkies should have fun spotting all the references, the obvious ones include The Shining, Poltergeist, and Psycho.

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Josh Lewis

Staff Film Critic

Josh is an independent Canadian filmmaker studying out of the Toronto Film School. In his spare times he combines his passion for writing with his passion for film, and contributes his voice to whoever is looking to listen.

Latest posts by Josh Lewis (see all)

• Review: Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) - September 14, 2013
• Rewind Review: Insidious (2011) - September 12, 2013
• Review: Closed Circuit (2013) - August 30, 2013