The Conjuring 2 movie review: Don’t forget to look under your bed

There’s something about a ghost story that intrigues and captivates. The fear of the unknown, meeting the supernatural, it’s all so bloody unpredictable!

A good story will inspire countless generations, passed on from generation to generation like a dusty family heirloom that you keep but don’t really know why. That’s why finding a good horror film can sometimes be difficult.

Ever since the curtains were drawn on the 2013 hit horror film, The Conjuring, fans of the genre have been waiting with baited breath for another tale from the real-life files of renowned demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren. And their patience has been rewarded with a sequel in the film franchise.

After grossing over $318 million worldwide and ranking in the top five highest grossing supernatural films of all time, we all knew that there would be another instalment of The Conjuring but would it be able to maintain or even build on their sheer scare of the first film?

A new scare

While the first film in the series followed the frightening story of the Perron family of the 1971 Harrisville haunting case in Rhode Island, America; The Conjuring 2 focuses on the legendary case of a haunting in Enfield, England between 1977 to 1979.

The film sets the scene by opening with Ed and Lorraine performing a séance at the haunted Lutz house in Amityville, New York- the 1970s haunting that made the couple famous. It is during this sit down at the house that Lorraine is shown a vision of what happened during the case . It seems like just another day at the office until she comes face-to-face with a demon that bears more than a passing resemblance to Marilyn Manson. Terrified at this encounter, and a vision of the demon killing her hubby, Lorraine gasps: “This is as close to hell as I ever want to get.”

With that she decides to hang up her demon-busting boots for good (We don’t blame you, Lorraine!).

That is, until her and Ed learn about single mother Peggy Hodgson (Frances O'Connor) and her four children, who have become the target of an especially nasty supernatural entity. It seems the evil spirit has it in for Peggy’s youngest daughter Janet (Madison Wolfe) who has been sleepwalking and teleporting in her sleep.

To add to the chaos, there’s a range of in-animate objects that come alive and scare the hell out of the family. It all seems to center around a creepy rocking chair and a room – the perfect ingredients for a suspense-filled adventure.

As the Warrens decided to investigate their lives become more and more entwined with that of the Hodgson’s. Soon the demon that seems to be stalking Lorainne makes an appearance at the Hodgson home and all hell breaks loose.

By then, the occurrences at the Hodgson home have caused quite a media circus and all kinds of “experts” come out of the woodwork to try convince Ed and Lorraine of their opinions of what’s happening in the house.

A human horror

It’s in these moments, that celebrated horror film director James Wan introduces a deep human element that plays with your emotions and allows you, at times, to put yourself in the place of the main characters. Besides adding to the experience and making it even more frightening, it all comes together for a climax that makes you think there’s more than just good vs evil at stake, but perhaps even the character’s very life.

The action is fast but not hurried. Its complex enough to get you thinking while not losing you.

More complex than the first film, The Conjuring 2 meshes together several elements of suspense and visual effects to create a truly frightening and heartfelt experience.

Director James Wan turned down cult car film Fast and Furious 8 to put his heart and soul into the project, and his dedication paid off with more fright than before.

 So, don’t forget to look under your bed.