Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)

I think we can all agree Insidious is no horror masterpiece. Despite this and the fact that sequels are usually disappointing, I was expecting Insidious: Chapter 2 to be a solid horror. You know, it's still directed by James Wan, the same guy, Upgrade's Leigh Whannell, wrote it,  and the cast is pretty much the same. And I couldn't have been more wrong. 

The film picks up where the previous left, with Renai (Rose Byrne) being interrogated by a police detective (Michael Beach) about the death of Elise (Lin Shaye). While the police continue their investigation, the Lamberts move in with Josh's (Patrick Wilson) mother, Lorraine (Barbara Hershey), and try to put everything behind them. However, the spirit world isn't done with them yet. 

And we, the audience, have to sit through an incredibly painful film whose plot is complicated, filled with holes and completely ridiculous. In fact, it makes absolutely no sense (I'm still trying to swallow the whole time-travelling ghosts thing). There are some twists, one of which is quite interesting, but unfortunately, they raise more questions than they answer from the first film.

The characters are pretty much the same of the first film, and they are just as bad. They have no development, they say and do the dumbest things, and those two paranormal specialists, Leigh Whannell's Specs and Angus Sampson's Tucker, couldn't get any more annoying than this as they provide the perfect amount of comic relief to kill the atmosphere in any horror movie. 

Unlike in the first time, when the cast somehow managed to do a good job despite the poor script, here the actors are barely decent. While Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson still do a nice job as Renai and Josh Lambert, especially the latter as he does creepy/psycho very well, the rest of them is meh. 

FilmDistrict

At least the direction from James Wan is still good. Despite the annoying comedy I mentioned above, there's a creepy, eerie atmosphere for a nice amount of the running time and there's a decent amount of tension throughout the film; the camera work has improved; and the scares, although some are so cheesy and over the top, decently work. And the make-up is pretty good. The special effects, on the other hand, are kinda cheap.