In an entertainment industry fiercely driven by action, violence, and sex Insidious: Chapter 2 was underwhelming, to say the least. Director James Wan has had quite a bit of success in the horror film industry. A good majority of the films he has worked on are extremely up to par and leave audiences begging for more from him. Insidious: Chapter 2, in my opinion, was not such a film.
In one year director Wan produced two horror films. One of which was the most bone chilling and terrifying horror film this reporter has seen in years. The other was cliché and filled with cheap thrills to sustain a less than adequate plot. Insidious: Chapter 2 was an attempt to answer some of the questions left over from the prequel, Insidious. However, the final product aroused more questions than it answered. The entire film was a time-jump between past and present in an area known only as “The Further”. The director neglects to establish what “The Further” is exactly, as both dead peoples’ souls and unconscious peoples’ souls inhabit the space, and he neglects to clarify whether or not time is defined.
Following the plot of the story was baffling and left me scratching my head more than once. The most disappointing portion of the movie, however, was the feigned attempt at horror. Granted one of the most well known ways to scare someone is by sneaking up on them and popping out when they least expect it, but that’s not what happens in this movie. A lot of the time the audience could very easily see the set up for a potential scare. Wan should have spent more of his time producing one truly horrifying film than splitting his time between two, where audiences can clearly determined his priorities lied.