BY:
Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) *
Though Josh (Patrick Wilson) has succeeded in getting his son (Ty Simpkins) back from the spirit world via astral projection, something else has found its way into Josh’s body and it intends to stay there. So, Josh finds himself stuck in the other realm as if he were one of the dead. His wife, Renai (Rose Byrne), suspects that the man in front of her may not really be her husband after he fails to recognize a song she has written for him. To top it off, her fears are amplified due to the ghostly occurrences beginning to unfold in the house.
“Insidious: Chapter 2,” based on the screenplay by Leigh Whannell, is a witless, humorless, uncreative, and messy would-be horror movie. I was astonished that this embarrassing wreckage is from the mind of the same person who wrote the suspenseful, eerie, genuinely scary predecessor. Even though the first picture ended in a cliffhanger, a sequel should not have been made because there was no script worth putting into celluloid.
If there is one word to describe the film, it would be “reaching.” As in: the movie is constantly reaching for something that simply isn’t there. The supposed scares lack energy and a sense of timing—two key qualities to pull off an adequate horror film. As a result, every attempt to “scare” the audience is so dull to have to sit through.
It throws everything at us: an entity playing the piano when one is alone in the house, something suddenly moving while one explores a dark room, a malicious voice being heard through the baby monitor. And though these things can work if used wisely and sparingly, showing them one right after another communicates nothing but a desperation to impress. I wasn’t impressed. It bored me.
The characters are now aware of the nature of what they are dealing with so suspense and mystery are no longer present. We are asked to do nothing but anticipate how they react. It does not help that there is a strictly enforced formula to the scares as well as in the unveiling of revelations. It is like having to sit through a joke we’ve heard before… only this person is not telling it very well. If the material had been smarter or if the writer had been more ambitious, it ought to have had some kind of a spin with respect to the characters being more aware of what they are fighting against. Instead, it settles for less than mediocrity and just about everything about the picture feels interminable and desultory.
To add insult to injury, the sequel connects one of the most terrifying encounters in “Insidious” into its veins. It feels so forced—something that comes right out of those cheap, badly made, insulting sequels to James Wan’s “Saw” and Oren Peli’s “Paranormal Activity.” Is this what commercial horror has been reduced to—“connecting” events with its predecessors to appear “intelligent” or “creative”? I find it disgusting, lazy, and insulting.
It is clear that “Insidious: Chapter 2” is not director James Wan’s finest effort. There is nothing to see here unless one is interested in sifting through distractions and clichés. A litmus test on whether or not a scary movie is effective: if you come out of it more frustrated than uneasy to be in your house alone, it has fundamentally failed to do its job.
Real shitty review Franz Patrick! Nicely done!!
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On behalf of Franz – I thank you –
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I freaking detested the first one, so there was no ways that I was going to drag myself through this one. Looks like I made the right call! Good review!
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I didn’t love the first one either. I thought the first half was quite good, but the final fourth was wretched.
The sequel is just wretched throughout.
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Oh my gosh, it sounds like a total disaster!
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On behalf of Franz – I bow to you in thanks.
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😀
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Wait, detest in a good way or bad way? The first Insidious is phenomenal! Not this one though, although I’ve yet to see it, I can tell from all the reviews and criticism I made the right choice staying away from this one.
Oh, and Eric, nice pic of Meester!
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I know!!! YUM!!!!!
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Detest in the bad way Joseph, I really didn’t like it either of the times that I saw it!
I did like Wilson, though, he was worth watching.
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Great review. And mostly agreed. This flick is rubbish (though I didn’t so much mind the way it integrated scenes from the first movie).
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I thought this was going good until it crapped itself finishing up…
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See. I thought it crapped itself pretty much from the beginning. 😉
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Right on, my fly brother.
*commits self harm for using the word “fly”
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I’ll never watch this because they didn’t call it “Insidious, Too!”
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HA!!
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Great review! : ) I wasn’t impressed with the first film so had no plans to bother with this one…
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I thank you on Franz’ behalf – this movie was OK until it pooped at the last act…
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I feel special. I am the only person in the entire world to like this movie haha.
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HAHAHA!!!! You are the only one…
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She should just cut her losses and start fresh. Husbands and babies are a dime a dozen anyways, right?
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Yep – there’s no shortage of available husbands and babies out there. Professional Wizards on the other hand….
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That’s why I keep this guy who calls himself Merlin chained up in my hall closet. Just in case I need a wizard one day. Don’t worry, I keep him well-fed.
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That’s sound thinking right there, my friend!! Very sound!!
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I’m glad I never saw these stupid films! Derivative horror is the worst!
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NO SHIT!!!
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I haven’t seen this one. Uhm, so, does it have a ” happy” ending? Please , I wanna know.
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LOL – NO… the ending SUCKS
HA!!
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Nicely done Franz 😀
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I didn’t hate this one as much as you, but…yeah, still not good, huh? Lol. Nice work. And Eric…LOVING the Probie sidebar. #bigproblove
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YAY FOR PROBIES!!! I need to update it soon…
what do we have to add?
PIRAPROBOS
NOPROBOS
ROBOPROBOS
CARAPROBOS
what else??
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NOHIPPROBOS??
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LOVE IT!! I’ll update the cart next week : )
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