Review of Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) by Guillermo B — 11 Jan 2015

Summary: Insidious: Chapter 2 delivers a few decent scares in its first act, but unfortunately the rest of the film is a strangely awful comedy. 40/100 [C-].

Insidious: Chapter 2 is directed by James Wan. It was one of my most anticipated horror films of 2013. Wan impressed me so much with The Conjuring, it was memorable, thrilling and well written. Unfortunately, Insidious: Chapter 2 is exactly the opposite, the script is filled with annoying and unfunny jokes, the direction is lazy, the production is cheap and some situations are extremely surrealistic. The opening scene and the first act are quite enjoyable, but there's a horrible lack of suspense and the scares are not so effective. I just can't believe that Wan directed this one, he forgot the most important thing in a horror film... the suspense! A horror film without suspense is utter crap.

The first act contains two or probably three extremely creepy moments, but seriously, the rest of the film is a stupid comedy, and it's so rare compared to Wan's previous work. Also, it has an intentionally funny script, the dialog was so cheesy and overcooked. Chapter two is a failed amateurish experiment by Wan and screenwriter Leigh Whannell, it's a joke. It is definitely one of the worst films I've seen at the theater so far. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed some scenes during the first act, but the rest of the movie is just a strange, awkward comedy, literally. I really don't recommend it, maybe two or three moments are worth watching on YouTube or HBO, don't waste your money in this.

I'm a huge fan of the first Insidious, it was amazing, even though I had some issues with its final act, it was a solid horror flick with a well handled suspense. On the other hand, chapter two lacks of scares and is short on suspense. Well, at least, the performances are still fine, Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne are awesome as always and the young actors are excellent too. Chapter two boasts an original story and I'm glad that it delivers some fresh ideas to the horror genre, but its execution could have been better and the script could have less unfunny jokes. Moving on, it has a good camera work, Wan gives us some creepy shots, and at times it looks like a James Wan film! But that's not enough.

I'm really concerned about this movie, chapter two is a strange flick, I'm not even sure of what it is, maybe an awful mix of genres, such as: comedy and psychological horror. Whatever, it sucks. As I said above, yeah, the plot of the film is quite original, but it doesn't offer enough scares nor entertainment. I really want my money back, this was a truly awful flick. I don't even recommend it for fans of the first Insidious starving for horror, because chapter two is literally a comedy film, a very bad one. The trailer is amazing and scary, but unfortunately all the scenes in the trailer are the best parts in the movie and that's it. In conclusion, chapter two is well acted but it delivers more laughs than scares. [C-].