The Conjuring 2 [2016] is directed by James Wan who helmed the first Conjuring film back in 2013. This sequel follows Lorraine and Ed Warren (played effortlessly by Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson) once again as the two “ghost hunters” travel across the sea to assist in the real life case that was branded as the “Amityville of England”. The poor Hodgson family is being tormented by an evil spirit just like the poor family in the first film. It's a simple rinse and repeat for James Wan with plenty of good scares.
Dynamic Demon Defeating Duo: Farmiga and Wilson do a great job with reprising their roles as Lorraine and Ed Warren. There is not much else to say other than they are likable yet again and they give the audience a reason to trust their every decision. Ed Warren allows the audience to feel relaxed and comforted while Lorraine drives out fear through her visions.
Real vs Fake: The Conjuring 2 explores the idea that maybe all this ghost stuff is just people trying to get attention and that is very new for this type of horror film. Could these people just be faking it for the media attention? It was very refreshing to see the Warrens struggle with believing this family. James Wan gives some great direction in order to force the audience to question the legitimacy of the images seen in the film.
Hard to Care: James Wan does not make it the audience’s goal to care about the Hodgson family. For the first hour we are given plenty of build-up for terror in the haunted home but that never really convinces us to care. It is only when the Warrens arrive that the film seems to finally demand emotion towards the characters.
Cheap and Uninspiring Scares: Just like many other James Wan films, The Conjuring 2 suffers from an unnecessary amount of jump scares initiated by sharp spikes in the score of the film. We have seen over the last few years that jump scares are not what makes a good horror movie. In fact, it has become a very well known and popular opinion that jump scares are just a cheap way to get scares. The Conjuring 2 had the potential in the beginning of the film to stray away from jump scares but as the film progressed it became obvious that Wan never intended on having any original scares. This film is gushing with jump scares, that it makes it hard to focus on the plot.
The Conjuring 2 has some uninspiring directing that offers no reason to care for the characters or the plot. The only redeeming quality is Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, and their natural performances.
