Insidious: Chapter 2
age 15+
Horror sequel brings more of the same creepy scares.
- Review Date: September 11, 2013
- Rated: PG-13
- Genre: Horror
- Release Year: 2013
- Running Time: 105 minutes
Insidious: Chapter 2 gallery
What parents need to know
Positive role models
Violence
Sex
Language
Consumerism
Drinking, drugs, & smoking
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Insidious: Chapter 2 is the sequel to 2011's terrifying horror hit Insidious, featuring many of the same characters in similar situations. Like the original, there's little or no gore, sex, or language (a couple of uses of "s--t," plus "goddamn," "hell," etc.), but you can definitely expect a lot of very scary, disturbing, and shocking imagery, as well as some fighting (characters bash each other with household objects). The main young boy isn't separated from his parents in this film, but he is shown to be in danger. Bottom line? If you're not a veteran horror fan, this is the stuff nightmares are made of.
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What's the story?
When Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson) returned from the Further -- the spooky world of the dead -- with his missing son, Dalton (Ty Simpkins), at the end of Insidious, it seemed like everything was going to be all right. Think again. The medium, Elise (Lin Shaye), is dead, and Josh is a suspect. Josh's wife, Renai (Rose Byrne), starts hearing and seeing scary things again, and even Josh doesn't seem quite right. Meanwhile, Josh's mom, Lorraine (Barbara Hershey), contacts Elise's assistants, Specs (Leigh Whannell) and Tucker (Angus Sampson), for help, which leads to an incident from her past. Will the family survive another trip to the Further?
Is it any good?
QUALITY
INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2 simply presents more of the same stuff we saw in Insidious, and it no longer feels quite so fresh. The "Further," a great idea in the previous movie, is no longer an unknown entity, the characters aren't explored any more deeply, and even the ghosts have no new tricks.
But just because it's not as good as the original doesn't make this sequel a bad movie. Director James Wan continues to develop his touch for truly scary horror. Unlike many of today's camera-shakers, Wan uses smooth, three-dimensional space and offscreen sound to generate his scares. His camera moves freely through houses and buildings, using natural obstacles like walls and doorways to generate prickly suspense. Like his film The Conjuring, it's also refreshingly free of gore, profanity, and sex. The weird, atonal score by Joseph Bishara adds another nightmarish layer. The bottom line is that it's still quite scary.
Families can talk about...
- Families can talk about Insidious: Chapter 2's violence. How much blood and gore is shown? Do you need that stuff to make a "horror" movie?
- Is the movie scary? How does it compare to other scary movies you've seen?
- What's the general appeal of horror movies? How is this ghost story different from a movie about, say, a serial killer?
How does Insidious: Chapter 2 compare to the original Insidious?
Movie details
| Theatrical release date: | September 13, 2013 |
| DVD release date: | December 24, 2013 |
| Cast: | Barbara Hershey, Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne |
| Director: | James Wan |
| Studio: | FilmDistrict |
| Genre: | Horror |
| Run time: | 105 minutes |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | intense sequences of terror and violence, and thematic elements |
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Very fun and interesting movie!
First of all, I just wanna let everyone know that this is coming from someone who doesn't really get scared by movies. Insidious chapter 2 is a very fun and heart pounding movie that I reccommend to anyone 13 and up. I also reccommend that you bring a group of friends with you because, obviously, the more the merrier! It also has a surprisingly good and interesting (and slightly confusing) storyline. And as far as scary goes... I think if you're easily scared you should at least give this movie a try with some friends because it really is a blast.
What other families should know
Too much violence
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Better, and still very well-acted and scary
Parents, even though your teen horror fans may be super eager to watch this second chapter to the acclaimed "Insidious", but even though this movie is rated PG-13, it isn't meant for anyone under the age of 14, due to very effective scares and strong thematic elements, not to mention some harsh language. Violence is much higher in this movie then the last one, including a dad beating up his wife and children, a man getting stunned with a taser, a mother abuses her child, and several mutilated and rotting bodies are shown, but it is mostly the shocking scares that pushes the envelope. Sex includes some brief kissing between the married main characters. Language is infrequent, but still has uses of "b-tch", "s--t", and one use of "f--k", though very hard to hear, due to loud noises in the background. In the end, the bottom line to this movie is that it is better than the original, and a very good, well-made, well-acted horror film. SUGGESTED MPAA RATING:
Rated PG-13 For Some Violent Content Including Child Abuse, Intense/Frightening Sequences, And For Some Disturbing Images
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Insidous Chapter 2
What other families should know
Too much violence
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