Movieman Madness: Cinema Spotlight IV - James Wan (Part 6): 'Insidious: Chapter 2'

Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Dalton (Tye Simpkins) Lambert.

If you recall my take of Insidious, I thought it was a return to form for Horror director James Wan. What you may not know is that on my first viewing, I was severely underwhelmed at the last minute decision of the "made you look" ending. I knew there were sequels but when its in the Horror genre, they are vastly inconsistent. You can imagine my surprise when Insidious: Chapter 2 immediately picks off where the last one ended

Renai Lambert (Rose Byrne) surveying the supposed empty room.

After rescuing their son from the ghostly dimension of the The Further, the Lamberts thought they were free of this nightly nightmare. Unfortunately, the happy reunion is short-lived as something managed to escape the Further and the hauntings start to happen again.

Like father like son, Dalton holds a lantern for comfort.

Everyone from the first film is back from Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne as Josh and Renai Lambert, and Tye Simpkins as their astral projector son Dalton, who has come to terms with his hereditary ability. Also on the return list are Barbara Hershey as Patrick's mother Lorraine, and Leigh Whannell (also back as screenwriter) and Angus Sampson as the comic relief ghost hunters Specs and Tucker. Joining the cast is Steve Coulter who you might remember in The Conjuring as a priest, now an old colleague of Specs and Tucker's paranormal mentor Elise (Lin Shaye), who is contacted when they come across footage of young Josh Lambert developing his spectral sense.

Specs (Leigh Whannell) and Tucker (Angus Sampson) trying to solve a mystery.

Much of the first movie's plotline is repeated but Wan and Whannell are able to work around it without being too repetitive or contrived. With the Further already been established we get to further (no pun intended) explore this purgatorial world as it is what keeps the viewer intrigued. Where the first Insidious movie served as a haunted house movie, Chapter 2 adds in a mystery element; a mix of Scooby-Doo meets The Twilight Zone with the characters trying to figure out what is haunting the Lamberts and how it connects to Josh who hasn't been the same since his trip to the Further.

Specs, Tucker and Lorraine (Barbara Hershey) watching Carl (Steve Coulter) trying to
make contact with the spirits on the other side.

What did rub me the wrong way is a scene where a séance of some-sort is performed in order to get answers from a deceased character that reminded me of Ouija boards. The Warrens, who The Conjuring movies are based on, have stated that such items when used may invite a spirit but also opens a gateway for the demonic. To the movie's credit, they later find out they were being bamboozled, all the more reason that it's a bad idea. It didn't bother me in the first Insidious movie as I saw Elsie as a sort of secular exorcist which is a perfect description of this franchise. Now I get why Wan meant on being accused of being godless but the lesson remains the same. That there is something out there after death both good and evil and shouldn't be messed around with.

One more movie to go and you'll be Ocean Master.

Despite that problematic part, I still enjoyed Insidious: Chapter 2 as a scary solid sequel that takes alot of influence from Wan's second film Dead Silence (see below). The sequels that later followed (Chapter 3 and The Last Key) help bring the series in full circle with neither film being bad. When was that said about a Horror franchise?

Fishy Foreshadowing: