Review: INSIDIOUS CHAPTER 2

INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2
Two out of Four Stars
Directed by James Wan
Starring: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye, Barbara Hershey, Ty Simpkins, Steve Coulter
PG-13 for intense sequences of terror and violence, and for thematic elements.
Verdict: While the 2011 sleeper-hit original often came very close to losing its shaky footing, the sequel crumbles from the start, lacking in focus and frequently a mishmash of otherwise suitable elements.  It's not a total bust, and there are a few good scares, while the modest pleasures of the first render any disappointment relatively minor, but under the hand of James Wan, one of the strongest talents regularly working in the genre, it probably should have been better.  Furthermore, some of the plot twists may risk laughs rather than chills.

In 2011, INSIDIOUS became a surprise hit thanks to impressive box office longevity.  It wasn't a classic by any means, and few would argue that the film held up at its climax, but it is one of a few "scary movies" that are genuinely scary.  However you feel about his films, the director, James Wan, practically re-invented the horror genre for the post-9/11 world with his feature film-debut, SAW, in 2004 (he's only been minimally attached to the six sequels that followed).  After Wan's THE CONJURING opened at #1 in July, a true rarity for an R-rated horror film released during the busy summer season, INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2 has now made him only the second director to ever have two films open to over $40 million in a single year (the Wachowskis did it with THE MATRIX RELOADED and THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS in 2003, opening to $91.7 million and $48.4 million, respectively, but with a combined production budget twelve times that of Wan's films).  Neither SAW nor INSIDIOUS had very secure foundations, and sometimes they risked their already secure footing for the sake of scoring more scares; sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didn't, but overall, they were decently frightening films, more so in the case of the latter.  INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2 tries for the same, but in the inglorious tradition of horror movie sequels, it completely loses its footing and becomes a slogged-down shambles.
It's not dreadful though, and there are a few good scares, so for the most part, you get what you pay for.  Also, unless you have an unusually high opinion of the original, it's not like it's a major disappointment.
CHAPTER 2 picks up immediately following the events of the first film, after middle class father Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson) "astral projected" into "The Further" (a hellish dream dimension inhabited by demons) to retrieve his and Renai Lambert's (Rose Byrne) boy, Dalton (Ty Simpkins, who appeared in IRON MAN 3 this summer), who had become trapped through his own unconscious projecting.  When Josh returned with Dalton, something else followed him, and Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye), the veteran medium who assisted the Lamberts, has been strangled to death.  As the scene is being investigated by the police, the Lamberts move in with Josh's mother, Lorraine (Barbara Hershey), in his childhood home, where Josh was once tormented by demons that Elise had helped shut out.  Hauntings similar to those that accompanied Dalton's possession before have followed the Lamberts now into Lorraine's house, but this time, it's Josh being possessed by a malignant spirit and it threatens to shut him out from his own body.

There's a ghost outside that window.

The immediacy of the story following the first film makes prior viewing of the first film recommended, but even if you have seen it, CHAPTER 2 is tricky to follow, because there isn't much to follow.  The characters have vaguely-defined motivations and backgrounds, and sometimes it feels like the filmmakers are coming up with it as they go, which isn't too surprising considering that it's an obligatory follow-up to horror surprise hit.  As is the case with many films of the same genre, CHAPTER 2 runs into the most trouble when it plays with plot twists, and such devices are often a gamble, but these are prone to provoke unintended laughs.
If you aren't highly invested and are just out for a spooky frolic, INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2 will probably suit you just fine, but it's solely a superficial exercise.