A wonderful breakdown of modern horror...

Rating: 2/10 (2 October 2014)

"Insidious – Chapter 2" takes place right after the events of the first movie. In order to bring the audience up to speed, it opens up with 15 minutes of purposely stilted exposition. But not only those first minutes are a true gem of writing! Dialogues throughout the movie will fascinate every viewer, in how far removed they are from actual human speech and emotion. To emphasize this disconnection from the human condition, all lines are delivered by a group of wooden mannequins cleverly disguised as actors. Although this has been a bold choice by the director, the expression known as 'dull surprise' is always spot on.
The film also raises many questions, it boldly does not answer: Why is a suspected murderer not in custody? Why does a wife and mother, who must know that her husband is possessed by a ghost, does not act on this knowledge? How do the two paranormal investigators know, that a knife was just pulled? And does a knife really make a 'swing' sound, although the one who pulls it just held it behind his back?
This film uses all the horror-film tropes you love and can't get enough of, like:
1) The ghost in the mirror!
2) The false 'standing behind the door' reveal!
3) Baby in danger!
4) Scary children!
5) Scary nursery rhymes!
6) A abandoned hospital/mental institution!
7) Ominous pointing.
8) Ghosts ominous pointing.
9) Ghosts ominous pointing white screaming and/or cackling.
10) The "...you cannot have seen him, he just died this morning." Scene!
11) At least five instances of a noisy, scary and inexplicably moving toy!
12) Ghosts wearing antiqued clothes while sitting with their back to the camera!
13) The self-unscrewing screw!
14) Explaining the obvious!
15) The murderous husband bashing through a locked door! (As seen in "The Shining")
16) The son disguised as his mother, murdering people! (As seen in "Psycho")
17) Dissolving walls! (As seen in "Silent Hill")
18) An ending that sets up a third installment!
This movie also takes a break from well-timed, well-placed, non-predicable and terrifying jump-scares. No longer will your heart-rate be raised by a sudden shock, that impairs your movie-experience! No, this film fires so many Jump-scare-'duds' and loud noises at the viewer, that after the first third of its runtime you won't care anymore .
And if you expect the 'loud noises' to match up with the pictures you see on the screen, you will be pleasantly surprised, because "Insidious - Chapter 2" breaks new ground! These noises always come a bit too late, which gives you the opportunity to be prepared and not startled by the sudden increase in volume.
Especially noteworthy is the one scene, where the baby-bed is revealed to be empty. A dramatic zoom, a loud noise and then BANG!: The instant reveal, that the baby just had fallen out of the bed. Scenes like this are a well thought out statement, how horror movies are desperately fishing for cheap scares.
But wait there is more!
Like the well-beloved "weak wrist" camera-work, when a scene is meant to be truly intense! A blatant and artistic disregard for how tin can telephones are supposed to work! A time-travel story! Time traveling ghosts! Where else, outside of Doctor Who, can you find something like this?
I warn you! This film is a movie you should not watch alone, because all the quips and witty remarks you will inadvertently come up with, would be otherwise lost to the silence.
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The Insidious Drinking Game:
"Fake" Jump-Scare (x1)
Scary Toy (x1)
Jump-Scare Sound-Mismatch (x1)
Tin Can Phones don't work that way (x2)
Drink one each time you think: "....sure this isn't Christian Slater?"