Fittingly, “Chapter 2” (again scripted by longtime Wan collaborator Leigh Whannell) begins with an extended flashback to Josh’s own childhood and his first encounter with the hypnotist and medium Elise (Lin Shaye), who appeared to die at Josh’s strangling hands in the first film’s final moments. With this new piece of the puzzle in place, we jump back to the present, picking up (a la “Halloween II”) exactly where the previous pic left off.
(
Download Insidious: Chapter 2) Looking to make a fresh start, the Lamberts have packed their bags and moved in with Josh’s mom, Lorraine (Barbara Hershey, getting a welcome expanded role this time), who lives in just the sort of draughty Victorian fixer-upper that allows Wan and Whannell’s imaginations to run wild. It quickly becomes apparent that the Lamberts have not arrived unaccompanied.
(
Download Insidious: Chapter 2) If the first “Insidious” often felt like an affectionate hat-tip to “The Shining,” with its gifted child able to commune with the undead (via the nocturnal art of astral projection), “Chapter 2” continues the homage by having Wilson go full Jack Torrance on us, as the seemingly upstanding Josh starts to seem less and less himself, and possibly turning into something quite dangerous. That plus the appearance of some very unwanted house guests — like a ghoulish bride who gives Renai a good thrashing about the living room — prompt Lorraine to enlist some backup in the form of Elise’s erstwhile sidekicks, Specks (Whannell) and Tucker (Angus Sampson). Eventually joined by another blast from the past — the paranormal investigator Carl (a very good Steve Coulter), who first investigated the Lambert case with Elise all those years ago — further into the further they go.
