A Balanced Review

Rating: 8/10 (13 September 2013)

To be brief, Insidious: Chapter 2 is a very stalwart seven in the horror genre, it's largest flaw being that the release date was too early after The Conjuring. Because of this, most critiques are going to be in contrast to The Conjuring; which is considered by most as James Wan's gem, & revere it as a horror classic. Comparing the 2 films will give anyone unrealistic hopes & expectations of the film, as the two's goals are fundamentally different. The Conjuring pays homage to 70's horror; from how it was directed, choice of score, & in great detail in the entirety of the plot, leaving the impression that you've just watched a very thoroughly-planned and well- executed film. Insidious 2, is a modern horror, intended more for audiences who look for very deliberate scares, & at a faster pace. The Conjuring overall is by far a better film, but in all honesty, Insidious 2 delivers better scares.
The film's first act does well to set pace & put viewers back into the seat of the Insidious world, which seemed a difficult hurdle to leap, but was actually tied up well by Wan. Several of the early scares are jump scares with little to no pay-off, but it quickly progresses into the plot- driven scares. One complaint that I do have is that several of the scares are a bit heavy-handed, but if you've seen the first Insidious, then you know the type of scares that I'm talking about. I appreciate that this film takes you into the mythology of certain characters (no spoilers here) and does well to use all of the devices & information given to come to the resolution of the plot. It was written better than what I had expected for this sequel, & I'd have to say I'm pleased with how the main arc came to a conclusion.
It does delve into The Further, which some viewers not experienced with avant-garde theatre might find a bit off-putting, however I found that the scares there was by far the best plot-driven scenes, & gave me the worst chills of the film.
The score was magnificent, & I'm glad that this time around it didn't take precedence in scaring the audience.
Overall, it's no award winner, it's a horror flick, & it does what it does best.