Chills!

Rating: 8/10 (9 June 2016)

Once again, James Wan left this die-hard horror movie fan smiling and satisfied. Everything from the interactions between the characters to the sweeping, long takes has been improved since the first film's release in 2013.
This is a film that does not rely on predictable jump-scares to get and keep your attention. However, the dark atmosphere of the haunted home, set in the beautiful (and period correct) 1970's England, will keep you on the edge of your seat as your eyes dart around the screen, searching every dark corner of the decrepit waste of a home for some kind of potential evil. This is where the camera work of this film shines. The long takes are beautifully done. They are slow enough to build tension and paranoia but not too fast that you will miss a monster standing in a dark corner as the camera is focused on an actor.
I took two stars away from a perfect 10/10 score for two reasons: number one... the first hour of the movie provides quite a bit of foreshadowing for the second half, which, once you finish the film, can be excused. I feel like it dragged on for a bit, and could have been done in a more timely manner. Not a big deal. Number two... the CGI of a particular monster (which shall not be named) was sub-par at best, even if it only got a couple of minutes of screen time. It detracted from the atmosphere that James Wan had built, though not enough to break the feeling of dread.
Taking everything into account, this is an excellent film that any fan of the horror genre should see. It will leave you with chills throughout multiple scenes and the overall atmosphere will make you feel uneasy and paranoid. There were several scenes in particular that made me push myself into the chair, trying to subconsciously get away from the screen as much possible.
8/10 Cooper L.W.