MUST Watch Part 1 First To Better Appreciate This Sequel

Rating: 7/10 (15 October 2013)

This is one of those sequels that really require you to watch the first one in order to enjoy it adequately. I watched the first "Insidious" when it was released three years ago, and honestly I do not recall much about it. In fact, I did not really like the film that much back then.
I read a lot of bad reviews about "Insidious 2". I did not feel compelled to watch it. However I noted that three weeks after its local release, there are still a lot of theaters showing "Insidious 2". I felt I must have misjudged it since there are still a lot of people watching it up to now.
So I decided to watch the first "Insidious" again before watching "Insidious 2". I must say, on second watching I thought the first "Insidious" was actually the excellent horror movie that it was touted to be back then. I must have watched it when I was not in the mood or something, hence my lukewarm reaction at first. I liked it a lot better this time on re-watching.
Then, I went on to watch "Insidious 2" right away. Lo and behold, I now think this second chapter is actually a very good sequel after all. And this franchise is actually worth all the hype it has.
"Insidious 2" actually starts with a flashback to when young Lorraine was consulting young Elise about young Josh's bad dreams. We already know this fact from Part 1. Then after the creepy opening credits, the story picks up from how the story ended in 1, the aftermath of Elise's murder and the possession of Josh by the Bride in Black. Now that Elise is dead, how can the Lambert family get rid of this pesky and increasingly malevolent spirit from tormenting their family?
The story will go as you may probably predict already, but there are several twists and turns that will still keep you at the edge of your seats and make you jump. I particularly like the fact that spirits in The Further could do time travel and affect events from the past. Of course, like all time travel devices, there will be plot questions that may arise. However, in this case, I thought this gave it a unique aspect that was very interesting. Ghost hunters Specs and Tucker are still here in Part 2 to provide welcome comic relief, and that was good.
Overall, "Insidious 2," though now lacking the freshness of ideas from the first "Insidious," still manages to give us the jumps and scares we crave for in watching films like this. It will also give us a lot of haunting and disturbing images and moments. Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Barbara Hershey, Lin Shaye and Ty Simpkins all reprise their roles creditably, with additional richer dimensions.
James Wan, just fresh from his success with "The Conjuring" earlier this year, comes up with another winner horror film. Now I understand why "Insidious 2" has a longer-than-expected shelf life in theaters. I am recommending this for horror film fans, but definitely re-familiarize yourself with the first "Insidious" film first.