Naznaczony: Rozdział 2

Chapter 2 has a good script that richly and cleverly develops the story of the first instalment. However, a quarter of the film is shot with a cheap home-video camera, which is an extremely bad fit with James Wan’s visuals, which are attractive and original as usual (and made the first installment, as well as the recent delicious The Conjuring, so appealing). The film follows three sophisticated interlacing storylines. If the “handicam” was used purposefully, to differentiate one of the lines to make it easier to follow the plot, it would’ve been alright. But it is not. And it completely ruined my impression of the movie. I’m at the cinema, not watching videos on YouTube! (22.11.2013)

First, a personal message to anyone who by chance visits this page and had any part in the decision that Insidious 2 wouldn’t be shown in Czech cinemas (as it seems for the time being): Burn in hell, cunt! You are the reason I had to go Bratislava and spend about 500 crowns more than necessary... And now about the film: I don’t regret the trip. Insidious 2 is a perfect sequel that expands the story of the first part in an interesting way (the fears that Wan would just come up with a variation of the first one were unwarranted). Though there’s a bit less fear and terror, and the jump-scares are not as heart-attack inducing and original as in the first one, the pace is higher (basically, you can’t catch a breath) and the mythology of the “Lady in Black” and the Further only improve things. This is a similar approach that Balageró and Plaza used for the first sequel of REC. Basically, a complex sequel that, though a bit weaker when it comes to terror, expands the story in an interesting and unexpected (yet no forced) way. I’m very satisfied, and a return to top form after the all too safe The Conjuring. Insidious: Chapter 2 won’t have the unequivocally wide positive reception of the previous summer hit, but I like it more because of that. (Cinema City Aupark, Bratislava) (22.09.2013)

I have to say I watched the second instalment a few days after the first one. I couldn’t resist, I was curious where the story, which did not say much in the first instalment, would go. The story as such kept balancing between stupidity and quite an original premise. I wasn’t sure of it after the first instalment, but the second one really confirmed it. The jump-scares were amazing, the camera creates movements that my mind doesn’t like but on the other hand clings to them in order to scare me. It’s almost as if James Wan knew what to do to activate fear in my brain. The caring mother, played by Rose Byrne, helps with that as well as the pretty crazy Patrick Wilson. I have to admit, I am really looking forward to the last instalment of this trilogy and will definitely go see it in the cinema, if possible. (07.05.2014)

The first one ran exclusively on well-worn genre clichés, to which it added a stamp of originality through ingenious visual representations, all resulting in an overwhelming guilty pleasure. The second one relies entirely on a modern horror home-style, which adds to Wan's mastery of building suspenseful sets and using a generic punch of ordinariness and pointlessness. Chapter II is undoubtedly a very decent horror film and I appreciate the fact that it tries to develop the story in a much more complex way than anyone was probably able to imagine, but as an expected sequel from the most ambitious genre filmmaker of our time, it's a bit of a disappointment. I would be happy to forgive the lack of tension, given the high bar, but it’s a pity that some of the climactic scenes seem to have been rushed and lack the previous creative "liveliness". 65% (16.03.2014)

James Wan has shown that he is truly a master of his craft. On one hand, it should be noted that all three of his films - both "Insidious" movies and "The Conjuring" - are based on the same concept, but he fully utilizes it. Yes, we have a haunted house and some paranormal investigators, but in both cases, the story is approached slightly differently, somewhat uniquely. This adds to their impact, while also allowing us to see how James Wan plays around, how the genre has become a familiar playground for him, and how he knows exactly what to do. I believe this is the main reason why he wants to take a break from horror movies. (27.11.2013)