'Insidious' 2 Review: Critics Give Mixed and Negative Opinions Of Friday the 13th Premiere Sequel
"Insidious: Chapter 2," the sequel to 2011's "Insidious" premieres today, Friday the 13th, because of course it does! The reviews are in for the second installment of James Wan's haunted house feature, and they are less than satisfactory.
The movie, which brings back stars Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne and Barbara Hershey, follows Wilson's Josh, the dad of the boy who was possessed and comatose in the first film and his struggle with the vengeful spirits who just won't go away.
Michael O'Sullivan of The Washington Post gave the film 1 1/2 stars out of four.
"Here, they try to outdo what they did in "Insidious," piling on plot twists borrowed from a host of other movies that, while in some cases are genuinely creepy, turn "Chapter 2" into a bustling, overly busy mess," O'Sullivan writes. "Considering how creatively bankrupt and stylistically profligate this second installment of the franchise is, the new movie should really be called 'Insidious: Chapter 11.'"
Claudia Puig of USA Today awarded the film one out of four stars, writing that it was basically a complete mess and criticizing Wilson's performance.
"Yes, of course it's the sequel to 2010's Insidious, but it seems cobbled together from outtakes. And on the matter of the title, there's nothing remotely subtle or sly about this lazy movie," Puig writes. "On top of the movie's general incoherence, it induces Patrick Wilson fatigue as the second movie in less than two months to star Wilson as an off-putting father drawn to haunted houses. It's a strange niche to be typecast in."
Not all critics gave the film a negative review. Scott Foundas of Variety praised the film, calling it a "highly pleasurable sequel."
"Wan and Whannell once again spin a ripping good ghost story here, populated by lots of restless spirits who ended their time among the living badly, a mother only Norman Bates could love, and a lyrical bit of time travel borrowed from Proust," Foundas writes. "They're terrific pastiche artists, freely raiding our collective storehouse of horror-movie memories and arranging them in fresh, unexpected ways."
Wan's last horror flick, "The Conjuring," was also a haunted house flick starring Wilson. The movie that was based on true events garnered critical acclaim and was a box office smash.
After reading some reviews, I believe I'll ending up seeing the sequel, regardless of its mostly negative feedback. I personally found "Insidious" to be an overall scarier and better movie than "The Conjuring." Will you be seeing "Insidious: Chapter 2" in theaters? Let us know in the comments.