INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2 (James Wan). 105 minutes. Opens Friday (September 13). See Listings. Rating: N
Insidious: Chapter 2 might be one of the worst sequels ever made. A huge step down from director James Wan’s previous haunting/possession success (not to mention the genuinely terrifying The Conjuring earlier this year), it’s perfunctory, needlessly convoluted, laughable and, worst of all, not scary in the slightest.
It picks up a few days after the action of the first film, when Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai Lambert (Rose Byrne) have moved in with Josh’s mother (Barbara Hershey) while their house is closed off as a crime scene. Something has once again followed the family to their now home, Josh has been acting strange, and all matter of bumps, squeaks and creaks terrorize them anew.
You need to have seen the first film to understand what’s happening here, but it still makes little sense. The jump scares are weak, twists can be seen coming from afar, and set pieces only exist for the sake of having something happen on screen. And the less said about the bizarre, borderline transphobic final third, the better.
The only thing the film does effectively is destroy any continuity and good will the first film achieved. Wan clearly didn’t put any time and energy into this disappointment, and the cast deserves credit for pulling it all off with straight faces.
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