The sequel is better than the original

Rating: 7/10 (14 September 2013)

I've become quite disillusioned by American horror movies. The glory days of your Evil Deads and Halloweens is long gone – the horror cinema we tend to see nowadays likes to rely more on cheap shocks than sustained terror. And in the off chance that a film comes along that is actually very scary (see: Saw and Paranormal Activity), it is buried into the ground after becoming a lacklustre franchise (see: Saw and Paranormal Activity). It looks like Insidious might be adding itself to the latter.
Insidious: Chapter 2 picks up where the first one left off (so you might want to watch that first). It's the day after the night before, and everyone's a little bit shaken up. Husband Josh (Patrick Wilson) and wife Renai (Rose Byrne) think all their troubles are behind them, but all the hauntings and demons they thought they'd gotten rid of are still around. To uncover the issue, they have to go all the way back to Josh's childhood for answers.
The problem with the first Insidious was that it was ridiculously disjointed. It was a fantastic first half of genuine terror and suspense, and an absurd second half of weirdly painted 'demons' and hokey plot points. Thankfully, writer Leigh Whannell sorts things out and we have a film with much more structure and narrative. Because it kicks off the day after the first one, we're thrust into it immediately. There's no need for the slow-burn set-up this time, which I think is both an advantage and a detriment.
The advantage is that we go into fifth gear right from the start, so you always remain engaged. The detriment is that, sadly, Chapter 2 just isn't as scary as the first one. Yes, there are still those shocks when things appear suddenly; and they still generate a gasp, but it's just not as consistent. Chapter 2 isn't really about wanting to make you scared; I'd argue that it's really just about trying to make sense of the whole story. There is nothing wrong with that, and I think it's all explained quite competently, but that need to explain everything means the horror suffers.
One other place where the second one trumps the first is the cast. Okay, so it's more or less the same cast as the second, but they're used much better here. Rose Byrne is as strong here as she is in the first, there's neither a drop or increase in quality. The quality increase comes from Patrick Wilson. I didn't really like him much in the first one, but he has more to work with here and does a good job. However, the best decision the filmmakers made was to make more use of Specs and Tucker. The double act are fantastic in their short stint in the first film, and are deservedly given more airtime in the sequel. Once again, they make the most of it.
What bothered me most about Insidious: Chapter 2, though, is the ending. I won't tell you how the film develops, because it's impossible to do so without spoiling anything. However, I don't think it's really a spoiler to tell you that there will be a third film. Because, come on, they're all franchises now. And it's a shame, because it's inevitable that the quality level will drop with each new sequel that is made.
But, let's not look to the future, and remain in the present. You should watch this accomplished horror movie, which is perhaps a bit short of spooks but is strong in character development and story progression. I would recommend that you watch the first one, because it's pretty crucial to the story, but this is definitely the stronger of the two outings.