‘Insidious’ loses element of surprise
The throwback horror genre travels beyond the limits of time and space in “Insidious: Chapter 2,” where one evil spirit haunts a family using two tin cans connected with a string. A video-cassette recorder and rocking horses also fit prominently into the plot. Rarely has a film set in the present day used so many products from the old Sears catalog.
“Saw” co-creator James Wan continues his mission to distance himself from the torture porn genre, by making scary movies that rely on practical effects, smart direction and an unapologetic first-date-friendly PG-13 sensibility. “Insidious: Chapter 2” has a few memorable frights, a willing cast and a professional crew behind the camera. But even as it succeeds in the moment, it’s hard to get around the fact that the sequel is entirely unnecessary. We’d rather see Wan and his co-conspirators put out something new. Something like “The Conjuring,” the Wan-directed 2013 release that was the biggest unexpected pleasure of the summer.
“Insidious: Chapter 2” is just more of “Insidious,” minus the element of surprise. We’re reintroduced to the Lambert family, whose father and eldest son have the ability to “astral project” — entering a limbo-like zone filled with dry ice and angry demons. This time, we also learn about Josh Lambert’s past, discovering his childhood possession, captured on video that was surprisingly high-def for 1986. The cans-on-a-string are part of the fresh hell for eldest son Dalton, and didn’t he take enough abuse in the last film?
Fans of the first “Insidious” will walk into the theater knowing 1) Which family member is possessed; and 2) The nature of the supernatural forces. Screenwriter Leigh Whannell tries to compensate by simultaneously adding back story and new drama.
If “Insidious: Chapter 2” exists solely because “Insidious” made a ton of money, then at least credit Wan for making quality control a priority. A lesser filmmaker would have farmed out the project to a protégé with limited talent and raked in a boatload of executive-producer cash.
Much like “The Conjuring,” the camerawork becomes more urgent and threatening as the horror builds, as if one of the demons is handling the cinematography. Patrick Wilson is convincing as the possessed dad, as is Barbara Hershey as the resourceful Grandma Lambert. And the ghosts and demons actually have to act since Wan shuns computer effects in favor of people with too much lipstick and not enough melatonin. Linda Blair would be proud.