Lightning strikes twice with the "Conjuring sequel" (and quite literally too)

Rating: 8/10 (10 June 2016)

Alright, alright. I will get straight to the point. "The Conjuring 2" is scary. So scary it is actually scarier than the first. So scary that if James Wan, the director of this movie, made me jump one more time, I would have fallen out of my seat.
"The Conjuring 2" is also more interesting than the first "Conjuring". The Wan-directed sequel revolves around the Hodgson family, who believe their house is haunted. Because of this, they contact the Warrens, the same ghostbusters from "The Conjuring". Okay, not so original. However, when the Warrens investigate the Hodgsons' house, they suspect if the Hodgsons' house is really haunted. Are the Hodgsons making up this up? Are Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) Warren not looking deep enough into the Hodgsons' case? The idea of ghostbusters being skeptical about paranormal activity is greatly ironic, and a nice change of pace from the first movie. In the first movie, Ed and Lorraine accepted that the Perrons' house was haunted; there was no doubt that the Perrons were telling the truth. In "The Conjuring 2", all bets are off.
What is also great about the "Conjuring" sequel is how likable its characters are. For one, Ed Warren is one of the most likable protagonists I have seen in a film. He wants the Hodgson family to stick together during their time of distress, and even bonds with them when he is not trying to conjure up nasty demons. He plays the Hodgsons guitar, he listens to music with them, and he even has a few heart-to-heart moments with the youngest daughter Janet (Madison Wolfe). Lorraine Warren is also charming. She sticks up for her husband, she makes sacrifices for the Hodgson family, and she has a heart of gold. I really liked the Warrens, and I especially liked their relationship together.
What "The Conjuring 2" does masterfully, as one could have guessed, is making audiences wet their pants. Yes, there are conventional jump scares. Yes, they happen because the sound mixer cranked up the volume to 100. But, Wan is great at tricking his audiences as to where his scary ghouls are going to pop out of. He is also great at making you think something scary is going to happen when nothing does. Basically, if you do not get scared by this movie, you are fearless.
Yet, "The Conjuring 2" is not without its problems. For one, the movie is way too long. Wan wants to make his audience believe that he will end on a conventional, unsatisfying note that horror directors overuse. Then, he makes something more evil happen. Then, it turns out that "evil" thing was just a joke and the audience gets the ending they hoped for. While it was fun for Wan to trick his audience, it would have been more effective if he had one, solid ending. Moreover, the beginning is not scary enough. Wan uses tropes such as "creepy-kids-are-scary" and "ooh-let's-re-create-an-old-horror-story-like-the-Amityville-murder", and none of these conventions work. While they are entertaining, you almost doubt if the film will get scarier (which is does- BELIEVE me).
Criticisms aside, "The Conjuring 2" is a fantastic sequel. It is scary, it tells a great story, and it stars some truly likable people. Yes, it is overlong and the film could start off with a bang, but I am happy how "The Conjuring 2" turned out.. Oh, and the film looks great. Please do not see this movie on your 13 inch computer when it comes to iTunes. Treat yourself to the cineplex.