Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) – James Wan
Starring: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne and Barbara Hershey
IMDb Rating: 6.9
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 38%
My Rating: Thumbs UP
At the fairly young age of 36 in the world of directors, James Wan already has 9 films under his directorial belt. Admittedly his films fail to divert in terms of genre, with titles such as ‘Saw’, ‘Dead Silence’ and ‘The Conjuring’ all snowballing into one big clump of horror. However it cannot be argued that Wan is sticking to what he knows best – projecting high expectations from his horror – hungry audience of ‘Insidious: Chapter 2’.
Commencing with a police interview scene where Renai Lambert (Rose Byrne) is being questioned about the death of ghost hunter Elise (Line Shaye), the film kicks off where its predecessor ended. Using sufficient flashbacks to refresh the viewer of how the first film concluded, the opening of this sequel reveals how Elise’s killer is yet to be found, with the main suspect Josh (Patrick Wilson) being overlooked. Set free from questioning, the Lambert family head home to live what they hope is to be the start of a ‘normal’ life.
As they move into the house of Josh’s mother (Barbara Hershey) with the optimism of starting afresh, it is not long before Wan starts to work his horror magic. Beginning with that ever so memorable chilling voice on the baby monitor, Wan strings together a number of paranormal happenings, including a mysteriously moving baby-walker, along with a piano with a mind of its own.
In both the original and its sequel, Wan has done extremely well to divert from the stereotypical clichés of the horror genre. He builds up to a psychologically thrilling climax as the audience feel they are trapped in The Further, whilst physically jumping out of their seats at the same time – a reaction all horror fans strive for! With very little gore (excluding the occasional bloody handprint), Wan plays with the viewer’s mind rather than their stomach – as opposed to some of his earlier work such as ‘Saw’. He also uses traditional yet clever camera angles, for example that of the mirror, just to make sure you always check what’s behind you…
Admittedly however, for some this film could fall at the first hurdle. Although it stands independently as a sequel (as opposed to being a mirror image of ‘Insidious’), some of the content seems to be recycled – once again using the voice on the baby monitor, for example, to chill the viewer. Similarly for those out there that are hard to please, Wan uses elderly ladies as a scare tactic who act as Josh’s nemesis – sadly they aren’t that scary, just covered in make-up as an attempt to imitate your crazy Aunt. However somehow, it works!
Wan’s techniques may be unorthodox and divert slightly from your ‘normal’ horror – but who wants normal? His use of visuals accompanied by the eerie soundtrack (particularly that of the opening and closing credits) keep the viewer on edge and constantly looking over their shoulder, whilst throwing in the comedic characters of Specs and Tucker to give the viewer an unsettling sense of safety and comfort.
After huge profits from the cheaply budgeted ‘Insidious’, the initial success this sequel had in its opening weekend is not a surprise. However the conclusion of ‘Chapter 2’ was left fairly open – surely a ‘Chapter 3’ is hiding in the shadows?…
Charlie Elgar
Charlie Elgar | Film Critic 