James Wan has shown his mastery of the horror genre throughout the years. Starting with Saw in 2004, he took a genre that had been turned into a laughing stock with films filled with mild jump scares and over the top scenarios that question not only a film’s characters but the audiences’ intelligence. Wan has done away with that and added the atmospheric tension the horror genre has been known for in the past. With that being said, Wan took on the challenge of making not just a sequel, but a sequel in the most brutalized sequel genre. Wan succeeded, as The Conjuring 2 is not just a chilling, frightening film, but a film of which its script is more interesting and layered than many other films of the genre.

The Conjuring  2 concentrates not only on the Hodgson family, but a look at faith and trust. With the backdrop of The Amityville murders  and its legitimacy, the true terror in the film is not just with the supernatural, but with the lack of faith shown in the Hodgson family as to whether or not their case is legitimate, which could ultimately affect their lives. Details about the legitimacy of the murders, bring skeptics out that believe that the Hodgson family is looking for fame instead of real possession taking place. This not only challenges their faith, but the Warrens as well.

If there is one gripe to make with the film is its length. The film clocked in at over 2 hours and 10 minutes and felt at times over- stuffed and not as neat as I would have liked. However, it does not make the film unwatchable, but could have had one more trip to the editing room.

Once again providing stunning visuals and unsettling scares, Wan’s brilliant craftsmanship is on display throughout the film. Wan’s key ingredient to becoming a staple in the horror genre is the treatment of his characters. No scene in the film is clearer then early in the film, where Wan has taken away the unintelligent decision making seen in other entries and have its character leave the area in which they are being haunted in. While the terror has not ended, the characters have made efforts to escape it momentarily. The elimination of the damsel in distress, along with adding intelligence to its characters in such a simplistic ways adds a sense of realism to his films. With Wan, the true horror is the element of their surroundings.

Reel Talk gives The Conjuring 2 3.5 reels