Holy Hell

Rating: 10/10 (12 June 2016)

I've been on this site for years and have never reviewed a title. Even the ones I really loved and have felt the urge to - I just never did. Something about The Conjuring 2 is changing that for me. I went to see this just yesterday after weeks of anticipation. I was a fan of the first and honestly didn't expect this one to be any better from the preview(s), even with all the hype and the praise.
But I was wrong.
This did not feel like a sequel to me at all. I started to forget that it was during parts of the film. It definitely had the first films feel and vibe but also mixed in with some "Insidious" and a dash of "The Babadook". If you're a fan of either of those films I'm sure you'd be into this.
My friends and I decided we'd go to the city to see this. When we got there it was packed with people as expected and we had no choice but to sit in the very front row, same thing was actually happening to my sister who went to the same city at the same time but to a different theater. Anyway, as soon as the opening credits started rolling up I got chills and everyone went silent, my friends and I completely forgot all about our uncomfortable seating situation and it was as if the audience became one.
Fortunately our audience was great, there were no cell phones going off and no one was being louder than they should. Everyone payed full attention to the film, clapping and cheering as well as screaming and laughing in unison throughout it. Some even stayed sitting in their seats after all the end credits were over and the lights had came back on to let it sink in. My friends and I felt emotionally drained (in a good way) after exiting the theater. The thing about this film is that it makes you feel a range of emotions you didn't know a horror film could do. There was fear, happiness, sadness, and just pure anxiety and unease. You definitely felt awake and at the edge of your seat at all times. At first seeing how long this film was going to be I was scared that it might drag on or get boring at some point but this never bored me and there were no parts that I feel I could say weren't needed for the story. The 2 hours went by so fast in my opinion, making it feel like it was shorter than it actually was, that's how good it was and how much fun it was to watch. I don't scare easily as I've seen it all so this didn't exactly make me cover my eyes at any points or make me feel scared once I turned the lights out and went to bed but, gosh this film was so good. Everything about it was good and might be my absolute favorite of the year. The actors were great, the writing was great, cinematography, atmosphere, etc etc etc... I feel like I can't praise this film enough!
My friends and I all give this one, without a doubt, a 10 out of 10.
(Also the people saying that this was a snooze fest are the same people who thought the poltergeist remake was a 10/10 horror film).