An outstanding horror movie that is unrelentingly terrifying with some very clever surprises, but it also had a lot of heart

Rating: 8/10 (13 June 2016)

The Conjuring 2 benefited greatly from strong supporting characters to outline an outstanding paranormal story. James Wan has delivered very effective shock scares and surprises that typically do not show up as heavily in other horror movies.
The family, including Ed and Lorraine, are put into an eerie environment while not letting clichés take hold of their decisions. They supported one another, cared for each other, and didn't make dumb decisions that would put themselves in unnecessary harm's way. This element made the movie very enjoyable and absorbing.
Now, with that said, the scares were much more effective. The tension of likable characters being in danger helped make the jump-shock moments feel more "well-earned" rather than "cheap". Most of these moments came as a surprise, which I thought was almost impossible at this point, but James Wan continues to surprise me with his genius camera tricks and clever twists on where the typical jump scare would be. In addition, the atmosphere set up was very realistic, making the effect on you even more intense.
If you like horror movies even a little bit, you will LOVE this movie. The intense scares are so worth it given the superior acting and themes represented among them.