"After all the horror films that have come out, should I waste my timewith Insidious Chapter 2?"

My Thoughts...

With all of the scary movies coming out from The Conjuring to The Purge, one of them has to be good right?

I am personally a big fan of the Insidious series when it first debuted in 2010. After seeing it, there was no surprise they were setting up for a sequel.

I couldn't wait, but I was also really nervous. I liked the first one so much that I didn't know how they'd treat the second one. Even calling it Insidious Chapter Two still made me question if this would be a true sequel. Would it follow the story line of it's predecessor, or would it veer off into a completely different direction?

Kudos to director James Wan for keeping it right on track with the first Insidious. I love it when a director brings a story full circle and everything falls into place. He also kept the very unique and classic horror style that had originally enticed me with the first Insidious.

This film is filled with intense build ups and gratifying scares that will have you clutching the edge of your seat. But the unique thing that makes this film better than most horror films are the comedic relief points Wan gives his audience. Times when the audience can laugh and relax a little. A technique that I give Wan a lot of credit for using; and using effectively. 

I think it's the comedic relief, in between the mix of build ups and scares, which helps the audience relate to the movie; and ultimately brings about a scarier experience. A horror film with long periods of builds and a few jolts here and there just doesn't seem to have the same effect. 

Take notes filmmakers. COMEDIC RELIEFS IN HORROR FILMS IS A GOOD THING!

At times, Wan goes a little over the top with the dramatics of the film, but for a horror film, that's almost expected.


WHAT I LIKED:

1. Comedic Relief: Wan used this to his advantage to give the audience time to relax and thing everything was okay before he began his next scary beat int he film.
2. Horror: Wan never takes the horror to far. He scares you and moves on. A thing other horror films seem to lack. They like to prolong the horror, like its suppose to continue scaring you after your brain has already processed what's going on.
3. Overall Story: If this had been another case of a bad sequel, I may have just given up horror movies for good. Insidious revives my belief that a good horror film can be made with a purpose and a quality story line that will leave the audience guessing.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:

1. Another Sequel?: That's what it seems like anyways. Wan left the ending of Chapter 2 much like he left the original: open ended. And if I was worried the first time about the second one messing up the quality of the first Insidious, now I'm petrified. 
2. Corniness: Sometimes, the corniness was just too much. I was rolling my eyes at times, especially with the dialogue.
3. Movie Theatre: This is just a personal note... I love the movie going experience, but for some reason people like to think that going to the movies is an interactive experience. He can't hear you saying, "OH NO! DON'T GO IN THERE!" So please, shush. This is not your living room.

Go see it? Yes! But WATCH THE FIRST ONE BEFORE YOU DO!!! I can't stress that enough. otherwise you'll be an adult lost in a McDonald's ball pit.

Overall Rating: 3/4 Stars

Those are my thoughts.. Not yours!
- Big Red

Insidious Chapter 2 Official Trailer