Insidious: Chapter 2, 2013.
Directed by James Wan.
Starring Rose Byrne, Patrick Wilson, Lin Shaye, Ty Simpkins and Barbara Hershey.
SYNOPSIS:
The haunted Lambert family seeks to uncover the mysterious childhood secret that has left them dangerously connected to the spirit world.
Picking up more or less exactly where the first movie left off, Insidious: Chapter 2 continues the story of the haunted Lambert family and the paranormal investigation team attempting to help them.
Concentrating on the possessed Josh (Patrick Wilson, channelling something of The Shining’s Jack) as he gurns and spooks anyone who comes too close, this horror film promises far more than it can deliver. Whereas the first instalment had a genuine otherness in some of its core scenes, this offering is more about explanation and reappraisal.
The main problem with Insidious 2 is one of showing too much. Going back to the beginning of Josh’s possession as a kid could well have been an interesting idea. Indeed, if it had been treated with appropriate subtlety it could have served as a neat follow up. As it is though, this, and other ham-fisted time-travelling elements feel disjointed and insufficiently thought out.
Part of what made the ending of the first instalment of Insidious satisfyingly chilling was precisely the unexplained factors in the story. The feeling that the possessed Josh would continue on an angry, murderous rampage was a bleak ending not normally seen in Hollywood horror. It should have been left.
Of course, that was wishful thinking on the true horror lovers’ part. The first film did very well financially speaking, and so far so has the sequel. Money spoke loud and clear, and it certainly wasn’t on behalf of the quality of the story.
The cast give it their best shot, with Wilson, Rose Byrne and Lin Shayne all reprising their parts with energy and enthusiasm. Insidious 2 looks a lot like it was more fun to make than to watch, however.
It’s more disappointing than bad in reality, with a few light scares thrown in. None of these come from the main baddy though, Mother Mater, a heavily made up screecher and finger pointer who looks more like a burlesque performer than a nightmare murderess. This plus the rubbish Yahtzee style dice throwing séance style of out of his depth new character Carl (Steve Coulter) does nothing for the horror side of this movie, turning it into more of a camp comedy.
Judging by IMDB it seems that Insidious: Chapter 3 is not too far away. Time will tell obviously and write-offs before a release are certainly no fun, but really… where can they go with this?
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Robert W Monk is a freelance journalist and film writer.
Originally published January 6, 2014. Updated April 11, 2018.
