What I Saw

Rating: 7/10 (15 September 2013)

I'm not too familiar with James Wan and my memory of the first installment of Insidious is a bit hazy, considering that I've only watched it once because I found it funny when they decided to bring Darth Maul into the movie and use Tiny Tim music to set the tone of the atmosphere.
Insidious: Chapter 2 is a lot better than what I had expected it to be. However, I felt like they recycled some of their 'jump scare' methods from the first film. Also, what made it annoying was the sound effects from the violin being played every five seconds as they try to force in as many jump scares as they can, making it seem forced and unneeded.
They added comedic relief within the movie, which I applaud them for trying something different (but not unheard of). However, it felt like it didn't fit into the movie as well as I hoped it would be. As much as I enjoyed the comedic side, I would've valued it more if they somehow planned it more efficiently or played around with it a little bit more so that it wouldn't be as inconsistent with the tone of the film (which I understand is hard to incorporate, especially within a thriller/horror film).
Insidious does well to add elements of action, making it consistent compared to most thriller/horror films. Overall, if you haven't, watch the first film before watching Chapter 2 because it picks up where the first film ended. It is a great sequel which I would highly recommend if you want to have a good thriller experience.