Excellent sequel that ties well with the first movie

Rating: 9/10 (23 June 2014)

This is the third movie I have watched that is a collaboration between director James Wan and lead actor Patrick Wilson. The first two were THE CONJURING and the first INSIDIOUS. And while most sequels stink (anyone remember CITY SLICKERS II?), INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2 is not only is as solid as the first INSIDIOUS, but it uses flashbacks to tie the two movies together.
At the end of the first INSIDIOUS movie, we see Dalton's father Josh cross into the netherworld to retrieve his son, but the door is left open to a sequel at the end of the movie when Elise's character is murdered. The sequel picks up where the first movie leaves off, with the opening scene going back in time to show a young Josh and his first encounters with evil spirits, then the police searching for Elise's murderer, which could possibly be Josh.
At first I was a bit surprised by the actress playing young Elise whose voice was dubbed over by the actress who played the older Elise, but then as the movie progressed, I appreciated the great detail that went in to tying the two movies together. In the first movie, we are given Josh and Renai's viewpoint, as strange noises befall their house and set off alarms. In the sequel, we are shown the actions from the netherworld that cause Josh and Renai to witness these happenings, which I thought was both brilliant and thorough. Kudos to James Wan for paying such close attention to detail in the explanation he gives the audience.
Lastly, seeing a colored up Josh, whose realism is doubted by Renai, and seeing Elise horrified at the very end of the movie, were all good touches to keep the story moving and possibly leave the door open for a third installment. So many sequels do nothing more than retell the first story (THE HANGOVER PART II comes to mind), but the script and unfolding of INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2 goes to great lengths to give the audience new information and a deeper understanding as to what haunts the living characters in the story, and why.