Review – The Conjuring 2

The Conjuring (2013) is one of my favorite horror movies of all-time, as well as one of the scariest.  Horror maestro James Wan created a horror film that was just as smart as it was scary.  I would have been satisfied with just one film, but, like most successful movies in Hollywood, we get a sequel.  However, in this case, making a sequel was a wise decision.  The Conjuring 2 is a true horror masterpiece.  It ups the scares from the first one and raises the stakes of the characters, making an entertaining and smart horror film.

The Conjuring 2 takes Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) to London, where they try and help a single mother and four kids from an evil spirit taking over their home.

James Wan ups the scares from the first one to a whole new level.  Usually in horror movies, all the chaos happens at night.  Not in this one.  No time of day is safe and that just adds to the tension.  The scares never stop coming.  Scene after scene, whether its in London or in the Warren’s New York home, something happens and you never see it coming, largely due to the impeccable filmmaking by Wan.  His lingering camera, quick cuts, and lack of score make the movie one large build up until the epic conclusion that sent goosebumps down my spine.  My favorite scene in the movie is where Ed Warren is trying to talk to the evil spirit that is haunting the young girl.  Wan uses a single take, and keeps Warren in focus while we see the young girl become the evil spirit out of focus.  It is a horrifying and masterful shot.

This movie gets a little weirder than the first, but in a good way.  There are a lot of supernatural elements that heighten the possession and show the true power of the evil.  There is a crazy scene with The Crooked Man that is shocking, bizarre, and brilliant.  It shouldn’t have worked, but it did.

I also loved the slower, non-scary scenes.  Scenes like this are usually used as a bridge to transition the viewer from one scare to the next.  But Wan has great understanding of these characters and uses this time flesh them out and give them a necessary depth.  Their is a scene where Ed Warren sings Elvis Presley’s “Falling in Love With You” to the family that is really sweet and moving.

The Conjuring 2 is the closest thing to The Exorcist (1973) I have ever seen, and that’s saying a lot, because The Exorcist is one of the greatest movies I have ever seen and my favorite horror movie of all-time.  From the never-ending scares, to the constant tension, to the impeccable filmmaking from Wan, this is everything not only a horror movie should be, but a great movie should be.  It’s hard for a horror sequel to be better than the original, but The Conjuring 2 conquers that rare feat.  This is a true horror masterpiece and one of the best movies of 2016.

MY RATING – 4/4

Did you see The Conjuring 2?  What did you think?  Comment below or hit me up on Twitter @kevflix or on Facebook at Kevflix.