The Rob Reviews Insidious Chapter 2

And what better day to see it than Friday the 13th?

While I still think it's just a tad bit too early to technically qualify as "scary movie season," on Friday the 13th of September Insidious Chapter 2 was released to theaters.  I LOVE scary movies and went out and saw it on opening night.

Eight days ago I saw the original Insidious for the first time.  I consider myself a big fan and critic of scary movies, and I'm especially picky about modern-day horror films.  Insidious was worth its salt, though...  A real solid scarefest.

Insidious Chapter 2 took the first film and added to it.  It has a very similar presentation as the first film, including a very similar story arc.  Normally that would bother me.  While that was a problem for me in a movie like Hangover Part 2, in Insidious Chapter 2 its less of a problem because the first film was so effective.  Other things like the same cast and settings make the film feel like it is lacking originality, but it never becomes a bother.

If you want my opinion, it is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL that you see the first film before seeing Insidious Chapter 2.  I have even recommended friends of mine that have seen the first one to watch it shortly before seeing the new sequel because the first movie is referenced a great deal.  The second film actually picks up right where the last one left off...  Like, literally, that second.

I'm not easy to scare anymore, but Insidious Chapter 2 definitely got me at a few points.  The scares are done in a similar style as the first movie; some scares are deep, psychological, cerebral, mess-wit'-yo'-head horror, some are cheaper "startling" scares, others are memorably horrifying images.  There aren't too many images that are graphically violent, but stuff WILL stick with you for the rest of your weekend.

Insidious Chapter 2 raked in over $40 million this weekend...  The second highest grossing film for a September release.  This is a huge feat, especially for a horror movie technically still in the summer.  Since I work so early, I saw the movie at 4:50PM.  I would call the theater medium-packed.  Still, it was very obvious to me that many people were getting up and leaving momentarily because the film was so scary.  I'm not sure that ANY movie could make me uncomfortable enough to get up and "take a break," but if you're a real soft-touch when it comes to scares, be prepared for a test of your will.  Insidious 2 is definitely worth getting out to see, and can't remember many examples in my entire life being that scared in a movie theater.