The Conjuring 2 Movie Review

the conjuring 2

Remember how pretty much all horror sequels are terrible? This one doesn’t seem to care about that preconception.

The Conjuring 2 is another “true story” based on the case files of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga).  This one takes place in Enfield, England where a demonic presence haunts a family.  The Warrens come to assist.

Contrary to the norm, The Conjuring 2 is a very good horror sequel. There are some truly terrifying moments in this movie.  That all starts with the director, James Wan.  The guy knows how to direct horror.  The way he sets up his shots, including his use of tracking shots, is incredible.  He can build tension just with the camera.  He shows just enough to build the intensity.  The tension feels real and grips you throughout.  There isn’t a lot of down time in this movie where you can relax and re-gather yourself.  The movie keeps scaring you throughout which is a bit tiresome, but effective nonetheless.  Are there clichés and jump scares? Yes, but like in the first one, they are used in a way that works for the movie and doesn’t feel cheesy.  It isn’t one of those horror movies that just used jump scares as a cheap pay off.  They genuinely add to the tension and you don’t always know they are coming.  That or they happen in a way you don’t expect.  It keeps you on your toes so you can’t predict the scares. All of the acting is solid again.  This was especially true for the little girl in the movie.  She does a great job, which was important because she’s a big part of the movie.  Wilson and Farmiga are solid again as the Warrens and believable in those roles.

This movie does have some problems, more so than the first one. The last 25 minutes or so don’t make a whole lot of sense.  Without spoiling too much, the demon wants the Warrens to leave the house but its plan hinges on them coming back.  There was some connection between them and the demon but the movie is a little fuzzy on how it all connected to the haunting of the family. The movie is also a bit long at almost 2 hours and 15 minutes.  Horror movies should never really exceed 2 hours or else it just gets tiring.

Other than that, it is a solid follow up to the fantastic first movie.  It didn’t disappoint and exceeded my expectations.  It definitely managed to scare me and was terrifying for long periods of time.  I would love for them to make another one of these.  The Warrens have tons of cases they could choose from.  It isn’t as good or as memorable as the first, but The Conjuring 2 is still a great horror movie (especially considering how bad most of them are now) and gets 4/5.

Let me know what you thought of this one in the comments.

Check out my review of the first movie here