Review: The Conjuring 2

James Wan has made a name for himself in the industry as a very talented director with a very distinct and unique visual style that have been evident in his films such as the first Conjuring and Insidious. The first Conjuring was one of the better horror films that I have seen in recent memory as it did a tremendous job of feeding on your imagination and using terrifying visuals to scare the audience. It is also used certain familiar horror tropes to help pay homage to the old classic horror films. James Wan returned to the directing chair for the sequel and all of the things that made the first film successful are still in play, yet the film does not deliver the same punch. The Conjuring 2 is a good horror film albeit it is a bit cheesy and relies on jump scares rather than showing the audience less. However, the film truly benefits from having the visual style of James Wan and the incredible chemistry between Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga.

The plot follows Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) as they are now dealing with a new found fame after taking on the famous Amityville case but that wasn't the only thing that came with it. Upon investigating the house Lorraine saw a particular entity that scared her unlike any other before. It forces her to think that taking a step back would be the best thing for her and Ed, but another horrible case comes to their attention that makes them call into action one more time. The Hodgson family in London, England had been haunted by a spirit that refused to leave his old home where he had died. However, due to how much attention the Amityville case got it caused other to be unsure of the validity of the case and wondered if the family in question was simply attention seeking.

While The Conjuring 2 has a solid plot it just felt like something was missing, the horror was lost in the decision to implement much more jump scares which is just about all that is present in horror films today. James Wan clearly has a passion for horror films and that is noticeable in how he has his films play out, he even pays homage to classic horror films in certain shots in this film. The end of the movie in particular shot for shot was pretty similar to The Exorcist. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson chemistry cannot be understated in this franchise. The two make it believable that they have been together for their entire lives while both actors also very clearly work well with James Wan's vision. Overall, The Conjuring 2 is a good horror movie but not a great one like it's predecessor. It has a tendency to play more to the jump scares rather then work on the audience imagination which is much more terrifying.