A horror sequel that actually delivers the horror

Rating: 8/10 (18 June 2016)

There's a reason we get so many horror films released every year; they are relatively cheap to make and guaranteed to make the studio money. No matter how bad the horror could end up being, people love the thrill and rush the experience of watching a horror film at the cinema gives you.
Sequels have become one of the most sinister things in film today, some seeing them as nothing but quick ways of making more money however, if done well, sequels can be one of the more interesting things in film. In the case of The Conjuring 2, it's definitely the latter.
Six years after the events in Rhode Island, paranormal investigators Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) Warren are called to Enfield, England, to investigate the paranormal events that the Hodgson family have been experiencing in their home, in particular Janet (Madison Wolfe).
Having investigated the Amityville murders of 1974, Lorraine has since had visions that feature a powerful entity, forcing her to believe that the choice to carry on their line of work could lead to tragedy.
What I really have to commend The Conjuring 2 for is the fact that it doesn't just feel like a carbon copy of its predecessor. Don't get me wrong, the two films certainly have similarities but this didn't feel like watching the first film over again.
The film does this by telling two stories; one of the Hodgson family in Enfield and another about the visions that Lorraine has been haunted by after their investigation of the Amityville murders. These two stories connect much better than the stories of the family being haunted and the Annabelle doll in the first film.
I have to praise James Wan for the job he does directing The Conjuring 2, expertly building suspense through the use of sound, camera movements and editing. John R. Leonetti returns as cinematographer and there really are some fabulous shots in this film, some leading to false predictions of when and where something would jump out on the screen. The film uses jump scares but it doesn't solely rely on them to scare the audience, one particular scene with Lorraine coming face to face with the demon haunting her slowly building to almost nerve-shredding levels of suspense.
The performances in The Conjuring 2 are also worth mentioning, with both Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga returning to good effect, Farmiga once again being the film's biggest asset. I was really impressed with Madison Wolfe as Janet, the member of the Hodgson family targeted by the demon and also Frances O'Connor who played her mother.
The Conjuring 2 will no doubt have audiences worldwide jumping out of their seats and give Warner Bros. a tidy profit when it finishes its run at the box-office. James Wan is the man they should be thanking and I'd like to thank him also for producing another horror that looks for more than one way to scare its audience.