Nerds That Geek Movie Review – ‘Insidious: Chapter 2’

Written by Scott Edwards 

As things quiet down from traumatic experiences, it is very important to get your bearings on what is real and what is not. For those who have been brought back from beyond, it gets harder and harder to gauge how far they can push themselves before causing themselves or others harm, especially when others make it back and only want to feel pain and don't care if it is being inflicted on themselves or others. When it comes to different people and the life changing events they have encountered, it is hard to know how they will return, but having just a piece of the original person left is all that one can ask for. 

The Lambert family has moved in with Josh’s mother Lorraine, after everything that has just happened to their family. Josh was able to navigate the Further and save his son Dalton from a fate worse than death, but now he is trapped, and his body is being possessed by someone else. Trying to act as nothing is wrong, the one who is infesting Josh’s body goes along with the day to day activities as he/she seems fit, but Renai knows that there is something wrong with her husband and the house they are living in.

With the death of their leader still fresh in their minds, Tucker and Specs research Elise’s past with the Lambert family, especially Josh. Finding a tape that Elise made with Josh in his youth, they see that the older Josh that they have met is in the video. Not knowing what this means, the two ghost hunters turn to one of Elise’s trusted friends, Carl, to connect with the spirits once again. As Carl gets his readings from his dice, he believes that the spirit of Elise is leading him to answers but finds out that it is the mother of the specter that is controlling Josh’s body and leading him and the group into harm’s way.

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As Renai deals with another haunting of her loved ones, she has come to depend on her mother-in-law Lorraine for any guidance she can deliver. When Specs and Tucker find out about the Lambert’s past however, they discover that the haunting has followed Lorraine and need to pinpoint the evil spirit from her past that has taken her son. As the ghost that is keeping Josh’s body under his/her control finds out what is happening and that their time with the living may be limited, the specter is told that the only way to survive is to kill every member of the Lambert family. Not wanting to return to the Further, the spirit plots a way to get Josh’s family back into the house so it can send them into the next realm. 

Insidious: Chapter 2 follows the Lambert family as they think that all is well after getting their son Dalton back from the Further but find out that now Josh is possessed by a powerful spirit. As Renai looks into her husband’s eyes, she knows that he is not the man she married years ago and starts to see and hear the ghosts around the house once again. Specs and Tucker try to come to the rescue of the family and with the help of Carl, they find that there is much more to the story than previously known. As they confront the spirit that is controlling Josh’s body, they find that it is someone much more powerful from his mother’s life. Lorraine’s past comes back to haunt her as she deals with a powerful spirit that is willing to do anything to continue to feel alive in the land of the living.

A strong follow up to Insidious, Insidious: Chapter 2 dives back into the previous story and explains what was really happening with the hauntings. The plot is strong once again, which is saying a lot for a sequel movie, but the film does fall back to the fast thrills formula with quick camera turns and first person filming that adds the shock value, but not the true scares. With everything that the first film delivered, I really wish they did not mess with the formula that worked. It is still a good movie to watch on those nights you need a thrill and if you are dying to know what happens in the afterlife, your questions will be answered. Stay Scared.

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