Insidious: Chapter 2 Reviews
Grantland
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.
Spectrum (St. George, Utah)
Amps up the scares without breaking any new ground while offering more layers and less gore than most films in this genre.
Full Review
| Original Score: B
Shadows on the Wall
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.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3.5/5
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
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.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
ToddGilchrist.com
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.
Killer Movie Reviews
it's Wilson who dominates the screen with a finely calibrated exploration of mental, physical, and moral decay
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
ScreenRant
Insidious: Chapter 2 expands upon the original story in an intriguing and smart way - tweaking and evolving series ideas in new (and spooky) ways.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3.5/5
7M Pictures
For a somewhat forced sequel, Insidious: Chapter 2 has enough thrills to make it a fun release on Friday the 13th.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/5
Common Sense Media
just because it's not as good as the original doesn't make this sequel a bad movie.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/5
FEARnet
Not much that's new (hey, it's a sequel) but there's still an old-fashioned respect for the pleasures of simple creepiness.
MovieScope
If perhaps not as frightening as the original, Insidious 2 certainly amps up the knowing hokiness (which was always at least a ghostly presence in the first film), while proving far bolder and more ingenious than your average sequel.
Vulture
Insidious: Chapter 2 may be somewhat uneven, but at a certain point near the end, I realized I hadn't taken any notes during the second half. For all its weirdness, the film had utterly transported me.
SFX Magazine
This second chapter might not add much that's new to the mythology, but it's scarily entertaining enough to stand alongside the first.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/5
Film4
With its simplistic premise, Insidious: Chapter 2 may seem like an exercise in style over substance, but it's also a lot of fun, providing several good jolts that are augmented by a generous dose of gallows humour.
Lyles' Movie Files
The most enjoyable thriller I've seen in years and one of the easiest recommendations for fans of the genre I'll make all year.
Full Review
| Original Score: 8/10
Top CriticWan 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.
Full Review
| Original Score: 2.5/4
Screen It!
It's the creative way the film starts to wrap around itself and pull in parts of its predecessor that makes it come off like a crazy haunted house ride. (Full Content Review for Parents also available)
Guardian [UK]
Wan remains a crafty enough director to draw your eye warily across the frame. You shouldn't feel so daft for flinching this time.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/5
CraveOnline
Seriousness is not on the agenda. This is just a simple, fun time at the movies. Or an unusually good pilot for The CW.
Full Review
| Original Score: 7/10
Independent
Taken as a ghoulish fairground ride, James Wan's Grand Guignol shocker eventually delivers the jolts and thrills it promises.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/5
