Insidious, Chapter 2

Reviews from the Dark Side presents
 Insidious, Chapter 2
Released 9/13/13, now in theaters

One sure fire thing that usually dooms a sequel is lack of continuity among the creative teams.  You know.  Sequels inexplicably change the writer and/or director of the original and you usually end up with something not as good (X-Men:  Last Stand rings a bell).  I don't know what will happen to subsequent sequels of Insidious, but, at least for Insidious, Chapter 2, James Wan returns as director and Leigh Whannell returns as the screenwriter.  Rose Byrne, Patrick Wilson, Barbara Hershey, and Lin Shaye all reprise their roles from Insidious as well.  What you get is an attempt to flesh out the events of the first film with a feeling of coherence.

*****SPOILER ALERT*****
If you haven't seen Insidious and are interested in doing so, skip the next paragraph

Chapter 2 picks up almost immediately after Chapter 1.  After paranormal investigator, Elise Reiner (Shaye), is killed by a seemingly possessed Josh Lambert (Wilson) at the end of the first movie, the Lambert family comes under investigation by the local police.  Josh, his wife, Renai (Byrne), and their three children move in temporarily with his mother, Lorraine (Hershey), while Forensics tears apart their own house.  It's immediately apparent that something has followed them as Renai and Lorraine begin seeing apparitions in the house.  And Josh is surprisingly calm about everything.  As atmosphere becomes increasingly foreboding, it's obvious that Josh isn't quite himself and is quite possibly, someone else.  So where is the real Josh?  When he entered the realm of evil souls called "The Further" to rescue his son in Insidious, he came face to face with several evil, dead spirits.  Is it the shadowy old woman who has haunted him since childhood?  Or, is there something even more malevolent behind her making a last attempt to latch on to the land of the living?  The Lamberts and their paranormal detective allies (including spirit Elise) need to unravel the mystery fast before everyone is permanently sent to "The Further."

Insidious, Chapter 2 has a nice steady pacing like its predecessor.  You don't have to wait almost an hour before it tries to scare the Hell out of you.  That's a good and bad thing.  It's good because you will stay engaged throughout.  It's bad because many of the jump-scares are pretty much what you saw in Insidious.  Chapter 2 definitely has a creep factor, but not so much a scare factor. 

The powers that be have left Chapter 2 open for another sequel which I'm not sure is good or bad.  Wann and Whannell have managed to create a tight story with the first two installments.  Again, I fear if these two don't stay on the project, this series can run off the rails quickly.  A new family has been introduced in Chapter 2, so there is the opportunity to follow a different path.  I just don't know how much story is left.  The Lamberts were haunted for a specific reason.  So, the ghouls in "The Further" have a beef with everyone?  I'm not sure how this is going to work.  But, I never thought  the Saw series could possibly have enough story for seven installments either. 

I liked Insidious, Chapter 2, but didn't love it.  I give credit to Wann and Whannell for building upon the events from Chapter 1 and making a plausible story (although the resolution of Chapter 2 leaves something to be desired).  But, ultimately, you aren't going to see anything different than you saw in Chapter 1.  It's a good watch, but a watch you can wait for.

The Dark Lord of the Sith says:

***1/4 stars

Ratings Legend
Zero *= Don't waste your time. Pure dreck! Dreck is too good for this! Blind me please!
1 *= Fuggedaboutit!
2 *= Average, Mediocre, Nothing Special
3 *= Good viewing. Much better than a poke in the eye.
4 *= Great. Could possibly foot the price of a non-Matinee.
5 *= Pure eye candy. Hall of Fame material here.