Much flashier than the first *very minor spoilers*

Rating: 7/10 (31 August 2016)

Let me start by saying that the conjuring 2 is a very entertaining movie that is well worth a watch. However it doesn't have that "instant horror classic" feel that the first one did. One of the main differences in this movie was that there was much more effort put into special effects and trying too hard to make the evil characters creepy. At times it felt a bit like I was watching the first insidious movie, with the bad guys caked in makeup and always making quick jerking motions. The second conjuring movie also doesn't have that same sense of dread and realism that the first one has. Rather it feels as though I am just watching a well made horror movie. This takes away from the actual lingering fear that there was so much of in the first movie. It seems as though to try to combat this, more jump scares were added which I'm not a huge fan of, (even though some of the jump scares in this were top notch and even managed to catch me off guard). The build up in the first conjuring was phenomenal as the movie starts off completely normal and you feel as nothing can wrong. This movie however starts right off the bat by showing you evil entities, which takes away from the buildup and prepares you for what's to come. It feels like a very cheap start that is just paying homage to the first movie and flaunting the fact that Ed and Loraine deal with "big bad evil spirits". So to summarize, it didn't give that same sense of sheer horror that the first one managed to, but Its still an unsettling film that has high entertainment value.