Review of The Conjuring 2 (2016) by Patrick L — 17 Aug 2016

"The Conjuring 2 is one terrifying sequel. It completely surpasses the original in every way".

Movie Review: The Conjuring 2.

Date Viewed: June 15 2016.

Directed By James Wan (Saw, Insidious, Insidious: Chapter 2, The Conjuring and Furious 7).

Screenplay By Chad Hayes, Carey Hayes, James Wan and David Leslie Johnson, Story By James Wan, Chad Hayes and Carey Hayes.

Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Frances O'Connor, Madison Wolfe, Simon McBurney, Franka Potente, Lauren Esposito,.

Patrick McAuley, Benjamin Haigh, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Simon Delaney, Shannon Kook, Sterling Jerins and Bob Adrian.

What a terrifying sequel! "The Conjuring 2" is a rare sequel that completely surpasses the original in every way. Director James Wan is clearly the horror master of his generation, sure he wants to move on to big-budget blockbusters like "Furious 7" and the upcoming DC Comics adaptation "Aquaman" but I think he still has a few more tricks left in his sleeve. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga return as Ed and Lorraine Warren, paranormal ghostbusters who document haunting cases in order to determine if there was supernatural activity in family households. Horror fans will be blown away by "The Conjuring 2", it's just a terrifically scary movie.

After documenting the 1976 Amityville murders, Lorraine Warren (Farmiga) begins to have a dark vision reliving the mass murders and discovers a demonic nun and her husband, Ed (Wilson) being impaled to death. One year later, we meet the Hodgson family as they discover mysterious occurrences in their London home. One of the four children, Janet (Madison Wolfe) who begins to sleepwalk and talks about an supernatural entity who claims that his house is his.

Soon, the supernatural entity takes over Janet's body and which forces her mother, Peggy (Frances O'Connor) to take her siblings to their neighbor's (Maria Doyle Kennedy and Simon Delaney) house to seek refuge. The Hodgson house becomes a media circus and journalists attempt to interview Janet but she is possessed by the spirit of Bill Wilkins. He was an elderly man who previously lived in the Hodgson house and now he wants it back.

This haunting story reaches the Warrens and Lorraine pleads with Ed not to get involved because she fears the creepy nun figure will come and kill him. They eventually bring their Bibles and church crosses and travel to London to assist the Catholic Church in the investigation but parapsychologist, Anita Gregory (Franka Potente) isn't buying it and believes the young girl is faking it despite being open-minded about the case.

Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga once again give strong and compelling performances as the paranormal ghost-busting couple because their relationship and teamwork matters to the story. Without those aspects, you wouldn't have a good horror movie. The four kids in this (Madison Wolfe, Lauren Esposito, Patrick McAuley and Benjamin Haigh) are also really good and Ed Warren gives a speech about bullying that's honest and truthful.

These days horror filmmakers are always concerned about jump-scares, gore and creative kills but James Wan doesn't go for the old route, he invents new ways to keep the moviegoer glued to his/or her seat. He manipulates the tone and have a scary monster pop out which left me off-balance.

It is much longer than the first film but "The Conjuring 2" is easily the spookiest movie of the summer.