Director James Wan has had quite a summer. His film "The Conjuring", which opened in July, was a smash hit, doubling the $20 million budget in its opening weekend alone. It was summer's dark horse, ending up as the 10th highest-grossing movie of the season, ahead of such tentpole blockbusters as "The Lone Ranger", "The Wolverine" and "Pacific Rim". So expectations were exceptionally high for "Insidious: Chapter 2", the sequel to Wan's 2010 horror flick starring Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne.
In hindsight, it would have been a miracle for "Chapter 2" to match the quality of "The Conjuring" -- lightning, as they say, rarely strikes twice. So while "Chapter 2" doesn't quite measure up to the incredibly high bar Wan set for himself two months ago, it is a very well-made horror film that should satisfy fans of the first installment. The film only disappoints by virtue of not being outstanding, which is far from the worst thing that can be said about a film.
James Wan burst onto the horror scene with his directing debut, 2004's "Saw". While the interminable franchise became synonymous with gory deathtraps, the first film is actually a surprisingly clever, taut psychological thriller. Three years ago, Wan entered a new stage of his career with "Insidious", essentially rebranding his own image from the creator of the torture porn genre to the director of atmospheric, terrifying (and ironically gore-free) haunted house flicks. "Chapter 2" fits perfectly in this new image of Wan, while not necessarily breaking any new ground. But this is Wan's first sequel, and sequels are by their very nature unoriginal, so it's a bit disingenuous to blame Wan for "Chapter 2" feeling a bit less inspired than his other films.
Outside of the context of Wan's body of work and on its own merits, "Chapter 2" is a successfully spooky film. Wan is still an expert at clever staging and expert framing, revealing just enough to put the audience on edge while keeping the characters in the (figurative and literal) dark. He continues to find terrifying ways to use commonplace objects, this time doing for tin can telephones what the first "Insidious" did for baby monitors. And he also knows how to cut the tension with some well-timed humor. Some critics have been disparaging of the comedy in this film, but I personally welcomed the chance to chuckle while regaining my breath.
Neither of the "Insidious" films are perfect. The first one stumbled in its final act when the formerly terrifying demon was fully revealed and turned out to be...not so terrifying. "Chapter 2" has its own less-than-stellar moments, including some stilted dialogue, a hammy performance from a possessed Patrick Wilson, and the use of a clichéd scary-abandoned-hospital setting. (Of course the characters would go investigate the abandoned hospital...alone...at night.) But there's more here to applaud than disparage, with several standout moments of almost unbearable tension, including an opening scene that will have everyone double-checking their bedroom closets before going to bed.
What is most interesting about the "Insidious" films is that, unlike the realism that "The Conjuring" strove for, they are inherently theatrical. The ghosts with their stylized makeup, the dark fog-infested hallways, and the perfectly-timed screeching strings all combine to make watching these films the cinematic equivalent of journeying through a Halloween haunted house. It's this sense of playfulness and transparent make-believe that makes the "Insidious" franchise so unique. In a time of endless (and increasingly substandard) "found footage" horror films, it's refreshing to see a director unfetter himself from our obsession with realism. We know what we're watching isn't real, and he knows we know it. But despite that knowledge, the fact that Wan can still craft a film that scares us out of our wits is all the more impressive and deserving of praise.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBbi4NeebAk[/youtube]
