‘The Conjuring 2’

With all of the hype and infamy surrounding the Amityville horrors, paranormal investigators Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) have become something of overnight celebrities. Everyone wants to know more about them, but they also want to question them more and figure out if everything that they say and do with ghosts is actually real, or all just a put-on.

For this reason alone, Ed and Lorraine decide to take something of a sabbatical from the paranormal-busting world and just focus on getting back to reality, where they can continue to raise their family in a carefree, quiet environment. However, when they hear about a family being terrorized somewhere in England, the Warrens can’t help but feel inspired for one more battle against the dead. This time, though, they may have met their match.

Once the Warrens get to England, “The Conjuring 2” takes on a whole new life. Rather than just being another freakishly scary horror flick, it becomes more emotional as we get a sense of who the Warrens are, as well as who the family is that they’re trying to help

What do we appreciate more? The scares? Or the humans? Either way, it’s an interesting question that’s still a whole lot of fun to think about, long after “The Conjuring 2” — the rare horror sequel that’s better than the first.

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James Wan directed the first movie as if he was trying to scare people and also entertain them by doing so, but here, he goes deeper and makes us wonder: What do we appreciate more? The scares? Or the humans? Either way, it’s an interesting question that’s still a whole lot of fun to think about, long after “The Conjuring 2” – the rare horror sequel that’s better than the first.

4 out of 5 stars