Review of Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) by Alexproductions — 13 Sep 2013

Let me just start off by saying that I am not a fan of scary movies. Jump scare scenes freak the crap out of me, but I managed to make it through Chapter 2, without peeing myself. That's both a good and bad thing, clean boxers, but a sub-par movie. Not seeing the first installment, I can tell you that the movie made full sense to me, and others in the same scenario. The film managed to switch between present, past, and future, which made for a touch I usually don't see in movies, especially without a lot of plot.

I felt more like I was watching the cast walk through a haunted house, then a scary movie. Let’s be honest here, when you see a house in a scary movie, it looks nothing like a “real” home, especially for a family. The acting in the film was absolutely terrible, and it was more funny then scary, because you could tell the cast was "trying" on screen. It also did not help that the script lacked creativity too. Most scenes had a false sense of urgency, which made the characters show fake emotions. All of these factors added together, made for an extremely predictable, overhyped movie.

Along with the acting was the same exact song track that would start every time like 10 seconds before a jump scare, so it was obvious to be ready for someone popping out of something. The scary part for me was the editing flaw. I would see a metronome, or a plant in one scene and a minute later when they would cut back it would be gone, or a Macbook Pro sitting next to an old tube TV, and film camera. It reminded me of a Paranormal Activity, more then as if it was its own film series. Picture two for example, was already done in Paranormal Activity 3, and the main actress (Rose Byrne) reminded me of Julie (Lauren Bittner in Paranormal Activity 3), all the way down to the hairstyle.

(SPOILER) What no film critics seem to be talking about in their reviews was how main character Parker Crane as a child was a reluctant transvestite. Portrayed as a little girl in aspects of the film, he ends up pulling a wig of his head. His room filled with girly items, later reveals that his mom (picture one) wanted a girl named Marilyn. (END SPOILER).

After discussing with others who have now seen both films, many were disappointed with the lower amount of scary scenes shown. I think they wanted to make it more about the family in this film, and (LITTLE MINOR USELESS SPOILER) as all scary movies do; we were left with something to think about, obviously letting us know of a Chapter 3.

Basically, if you are a fan of the Insidious', then go see Chapter 2. Other than that, it was a crap movie, with a bad script, terrible acting, and predictable scenes. Definitely save your $9.50 on this one and borrow the DVD from your friend in a few months, when you’re looking for a scary movie to watch a year from now.