Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)
Average Rating: 4.6/10
Reviews Counted: 99
Fresh: 35 | Rotten: 64
Insidious: Chapter 2 is decidedly short on the tension and surprises that made its predecessor so chilling.
Average Rating: 3.9/10
Critic Reviews: 23
Fresh: 5 | Rotten: 18
Insidious: Chapter 2 is decidedly short on the tension and surprises that made its predecessor so chilling.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 47,530
Movie Info
The famed horror team of director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell reunite with the original cast of Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye and Ty Simpkins in INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2, a terrifying sequel to the acclaimed horror film, which follows the haunted Lambert family as they seek to uncover the mysterious childhood secret that has left them dangerously connected to the spirit world. (c) FilmDistrict
Cast
-
Patrick Wilson
Josh Lambert -
Rose Byrne
Renai Lambert -
Lin Shaye
Elise Rainier -
Ty Simpkins
Dalton Lambert -
Barbara Hershey
Lorraine Lambert -
Jocelin Donahue
Young Lorraine Lambe... -
Lindsay Seim
Young Elise Rainier -
Danielle Bisutti
Michelle -
Andrew Astor
Foster Lambert -
Leigh Whannell
Specs -
Tom Fitzpatrick
Parker Crane -
Garrett Ryan
Young Josh Lambert -
Steve Coulter
Carl Stanaway -
Hank Harris
Young Carl Stanaway -
Tyler James Griffin
Young Parker Crane -
J LaRose
Long Haired Fiend -
ADVERTISEMENT
Insidious: Chapter 2 Trailer & Photos
All Critics (99) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (35) | Rotten (64)
Though there's some admirably clever plotting to interweave the film's second half with events in the original, it's simply not as scary.
Top CriticInsidious: Chapter 2 is not only unnecessary but it commits the cardinal sin of devaluing its predecessor.
An increasing amount of metaphysical backtracking dilutes the few simple jolts that do work this time around.
Most of Chapter 2 is unintentionally hilarious.
Insidious: Chapter 2 follows the further misfortunes of the Lambert family with diminishing insidious rewards.
Wan is getting better and better at figuring out what to do with the camera, and maneuvering actors within a shot for maximum suspense, while letting his design collaborators do the rest.
Most of [Wan's] peers shoot a bunch of scenes and let the editor make a smoothie. Wan no longer relies on visual gibberish. He has become a classicist in that sense.
Clever isn't the same as scary. It's the unexplained, not the over-explained, that tingles the spine.
It relies on cheap thrills and fails to generate consistent suspense, while lacking the sharp sense of humor that kept the first film from bogging down.
Alas, the tension and fright remain mostly invisible in "Insidious: Chapter 2," the disappointing sequel to the terrific "Insidious."
Amps up the scares without breaking any new ground while offering more layers and less gore than most films in this genre.
The movie finds itself haunted by a three-headed beast: incoherence, illogicality and contrivance.
Wan and Whannell return to their 2011 hit with a vengeance, gleefully filling in the story before, after and even during that first chapter with even more gonzo nuttiness.
Director James Wan and screenwriter Leigh Whannell generate some cool scares and clever comic relief from Elise's junior colleagues, but a viewing of the first movie would benefit newbies.
Tedious and repetitive, it concludes with yet another creepy cliffhanger.
A clumsy and muddled follow up to the original; toomany tricks and not enough treats.
Chapter 2 might be the better film, though, frankly, it's hard to separate the two pictures. I honestly have never seen a sequel that's as completely organic as this one.
Egregious would be a better title than Insidious.
Characters in Whannell/Wan screenplays speak with the first-draft expository bluntness of a cheap '50s thriller, letting the characters step on some of the best reveals.
The most slapped-together, pointless, allover terrible horror film of 2013; and I will remind you that 2013 bore witness to Texas Chainsaw 3D.
The simple elegance of the first film has been lost in a jumbled mess that sometimes hits on fresh angles on ghost stories but most often is shoddy, sloppy, and lazy.
Boo, indeed.
A sprawling, idiosyncratic film that attempts to recontextualize the events of its predecessor, Wan's sequel is ambitious but shortsighted, creepy but cartoonish, but utterly watchable.
it's Wilson who dominates the screen with a finely calibrated exploration of mental, physical, and moral decay
Less than two months after securing a deserved word-of-mouth hit with The Conjuring, James Wan serves up a turkey with this confused, crudely staged sequel.
Falls short, especially when much of the would-be frights shoulder on Wilson's overwrought and rather embarrassing attempt at echoing Jack Nicholson in THE SHINING.
Audience Reviews for Insidious: Chapter 2
Super Reviewer
Loved the first and loved this sequel, I love how they interlinked them both!
Super Reviewer
-
- Michelle: Don't you dare!!
-
- Young Elise Rainier: In my line of work things tend to happen when it gets dark.
-
- Carl Stanaway: When you were a boy, something haunted you.
-
- Josh Lambert: This is nothing like being dead. I know.
Discussion Forum
| Topic | Last Post | Replies |
|---|---|---|
| Guess the tomatometer? | 9 days ago | 59 |
| Ignore that troll known as EMOD | 15 days ago | 37 |
| What are some of your favorite unknown/low budget horror films? | 5 days ago | 34 |
| Best horror movie sequel ever | 5 days ago | 32 |
| worst horror movies. | 3 days ago | 17 |
What's Hot On RT
New Desolation of Smaug trailer!
Naomi Watts is Princess Di
Gravity sets new record
Trailer for a squirrely heist flick
See what's on TV tonight
Latest News on Insidious: Chapter 2
September 20, 2013:
Weekly Ketchup: Insidious 3 Gets the GreenlightThis week's Ketchup covers seven days in which there weren't many (confirmed/non-rumor) "big...
September 18, 2013:
Aaron Eckhart Is IncarnateHe'll star in a microbudget exorcism horror movie currently set up at Blumhouse.
Fresh Links
Featured
Halloween Movies For Wimps
Scary movies too scary for you? Here are some alternatives for October 31st.
10 Best Superhero TV Shows
HitFix combs through TV history to compile a superpowered list.
Ridiculous Movie Mistakes
RollingStone proves even the best movies miss a details here and there.
Deadly Movie Kids
Moviefone lists 11 Movie Kids Who Could Kick Our Asses.
50 States, 50 Movies
For July 4th, TimeOut has compiled 50 state-specific movie choices.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter!
Spice up your feed with hourly Tomatometer updates!
Featured on RT
- NYFF: Joaquin Phoenix and James Gray talk The Immigrant 0
- Box Office Guru Wrapup: Gravity Stuns with Record $55M Launch 27
- Primetime Preview: Witches of East End, Once Upon a Time and More 1
- Weekly Ketchup: Disney Plans Live Action Cruella de Vil Movie 34
- Primetime Preview: Last Man Standing, The Neighbors and More 5
- Critics Consensus: Gravity is Certified Fresh 68
- Parental Guidance: Gravity and Parkland 2
Top Headlines
Foreign Titles
- Insidious Chapter 2 (DE)
- Insidious 2 (UK)
