THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
The Conjuring was a groundbreaking horror film in 2013. Due to its box office success, it would gain a spin-off arc of the Annabelle. After the first film of that series came out in 2014, audiences anticipated for another cinematic adventure with the Warrens. And in 2016, the wait had ended and arguably delivered.
PLOT
The Conjuring 2 opens up in the setting of 1976 where Lorraine discovers that a demon dressed as a nun possessed a man to murder his family in Amityville, New York. Her seance leaves her terrified as she sees her husband Ed impaled. In 1977, Penny Hodgson and her four children (Margaret [Lauren Esposito], Janet, Billy [Benjamin Haigh] and Johnny [Patrick McAuley]) have paranormal events of their own after Janet plays with a Ouija board. The youngest daughter goes through multiple experiences as in being able to sleepwalk and making contact with the demon of an older man that claims the house is his. When the rest of the family, it catches the attention of the public eye in Enfield, London. Janet does get interviewed by local paranormal researchers Maurice Grosse, she reveals to be possessed by the ghost of a man named Billy Witkins, who died at the age of 72. While Grosse believes the haunting to be real another researcher named Anita Gregory doesn't agree. The Warrens get called in to see if they confirm the legitimacy of the possession. This finds Lorraine because she fears that her vision of losing Ed could come true. She and her husband go to Enfield and get started with their investigation. When they make contact to Bill that is inside Janet, he demands the adults to look away. They do that but when Ed pulls out his cross, the ghost "Help.. it.. Let.. go" before going into hiding. When the Warrens spend the night with the Hodgsons, Janet gets teleported to her locked room and is attacked by Bill again. Thankfully, the adults rescued her before any more harm could occur. The night after that, Bill attacks Ed and Penny in the flooded basement. When discussing their experience with Gregory, she still doesn't believe their word and demands visual proof. Another night, the kitchen is destroyed by what seems to be Bill while Janet gets stuck in an electrical box shouting "Me.. won't". Since the kitchen was being recorded outside the house, Gregory shows footage of Janet staging the destruction of the kitchen. The Warrens must leave because despite the overall experience, the video will debunk everything they've encountered. Just as they leave, Janet admits to her siblings that she was forced by the demon to do it, to get rid of them. As the couple board a train, Ed hears the separate tape recordings of Bill at once that reveal his true message was "Help me! It won't let me go!". Just as Lorraine hears it, she is pulled into a vision revealing that Bill was only a pawn for the same demonic nun she's bee seeing since Amityville. They rush back to the Hodgsons and deduce that announcing the demon's name can defeat it. As Ed gets in the house to save Janet from the demon, Lorraine remembers the name to be "Valak" when she unintentionally carved it onto the pages of her bible. When Ed is inside, he's partially blinded by steam that came from a burst pipe. Before he can get to Janet, he is chased around by another demon in the form of the nursery rhyme known as "The Crooked Man". He reaches the room and catches her body from falling to her death, but is barely hanging on to the curtains inside. Lorraine is able to save them both after uttering Valak's name and condemning it back to hell. By morning, Penny thanks them on behalf of their family for saving them. The film ends with Ed placing the Crooked Man zoetrope in his museum of haunted artifacts, next to the music box from the Perrons' house.
THOUGHTS
I recall making time for this film during the winter season of early 2017 and my opinions remains the same whereas this was indeed a scary film. James Wan doesn't always direct a sequel but when he does, it is good. This film is no exception as it hits all the right notes on what made the first one so iconic. If there is anything that was done better was the cinematography. Every tracking shot Don Burgess had displayed was satisfying to see. It was even terrifying on the other hand because you could never figure out what would be lurking or hiding to get the jump on viewers. While I can't say the jump scares are better, they definitely stick their landings. Although Valak and the Crooked Man were not the actual demons that the Hodgsons really encountered, they succeed in being such vile and terrifying figures that they got their own spinoffs. The duo of Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga remain to be the best thing about this movie playing The Warrens as their wills were seemingly put to the test this time around. Although they're not entirely confident, they never give up on others which is the greatest thing about them. Lorraine feared of losing her husband, yet she saved him in the end. Ed was becoming doubtful of his work, but the Hodgsons case revived his beliefs. It is crazy to see how horror can be able to bring wholesome moments, and this film gave us one of the most peaceful of all. Seeing Ed play the guitar for the kids made me smile because he used his fatherly instincts to make them happy when they needed it more than ever. Although this didn't eliminate the threat, it made them hopeful that their nightmare would end. Going into the rest of the cast, I really enjoyed Simon McBurney who brought in an extra layer of warmth as Maurice Grosse. When the man lost his daughter, he hoped to find assurance that there is something beyond life. For those who had gone through loss, that comes off very relatable. Based on his experience with the Hodgsons, it is safe to say that he got his closure. Franka Potente succeeds in making Anita Gregory a dislikable character as her sole goal prove others wrong and nothing else, possession wise. Speaking of the said family, Frances O"Connor was also great as the matriarch that is Peggy. Despite the stress she was going through taking care of her kids all on her own, prior to the horror, she remained as conscientious as any loving parent would to get by. Of all the kids, Janet was the highlight because within time, Madison Wolfe was on point going from innocent child to the vile demon inside. Seeing that in display during the interview was outstanding to see. Easily an acting lesson taught to the young who aspire to act. This sequel holds up very well but it has some flaws of its own that prevent it from being better than the first film. First off, why didn't Alice tell her mom or her neighbor of her living room spook? Had that happened, things would've bet in set in motion much quicker to handle the threat. Also, why doesn't the demon mess with Peggy until she finds the board? It would've been more suspenseful if it did minor frights before pursuing the kids. It doesn't make sense why it takes so long for her to be harassed. Watching the interview scene is always bone chilling but I was thrown off how Margaret hardly reacts to Janet being possessed. I know the haunting has been going on for a while but there is no way she'd be that calm. I don't mean to be complaining but it really took one cross to frighten the demon when there were dozens of crosses in the girls' room. That was heavily confusing and it should have been explained. I know the family deserves to brighten the mood after going through hell and back being haunted by a demon. But why out up Christmas decorations on the haunted chair? That decision made it look like they were asking for another attack. Lastly, why didn't Lorraine get a new bible? It may be convenient for her to keep the damaged one but it's odd how she didn't get a new one after ruining the first. That is more infuriating than the fact that Valak shared its name to her, knowing it is it’s only weakness. Other than that, this sequel is still worthwhile. In short, The Conjuring 2 is one of the few horror sequels that actually hold up for being able to raise the stakes unlike others. If you love the first film, don’t take too long checking this out.
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