Insidious: Chapter 2 [Blu-Ray]
Director: James Wan
Cast: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Barbara Hershey
Release Date: Now Available on Blu-Ray Combo Pack & DVD
A Review By: Kevin Lovell
Film Rating: 9/10
Disc Rating: 9/10
Plot Summary:
The haunted Lambert family seeks to uncover the mysterious childhood secret that has left them dangerously connected to the spirit world.
It’s so refreshing to see one of those rare examples of a sequel that doesn’t just tire out and overuse the same old thing, and actually delves deeper into the overall story, as well as make some shocking connections and 
revelations along the way, which is exactly what ‘Insidious: Chapter 2’ brings to the table. It picks up immediately after the first film ends, and the ‘Chapter 2’ in the title really does make perfect sense due to the fact that this really does just feel like the next chapter or step in the story as much as it is a sequel, it’s a straight continuation of what feels like an unconcluded tale. I felt it offered less scares than its predecessor, but at the same time, that was a more than acceptable sacrifice when the result is far more mind blowing and thought provoking ideas that continue to build in ways I rarely saw coming. Let’s just hope the third one can hold a candle to the first two.
The direction is once again spot on and cleverly crafted to James Wan’s (Insidious, Saw, The Conjuring) unique style and continues along in perfect harmony with the vibe
and tone of the first entry in the series. Leigh Whannel once again penned the script, though this time around Wan was also involved in the story. The performances were impressive for the most part, most notably (yet again) was probably that of Patrick Wilson, who is a very talented actor and has frequently worked with Wan as of late.
‘Insidious: Chapter 2’ might offer a few less scares than the original, but it really does add a shocking amount to the overall story. The way so many elements connect and the mostly strong performances help to make this an impressive and brilliantly crafted sequel, and one that I know I’m not alone is saying just might be one of the best horror sequels out there when comparing with the original. If you enjoyed the first, you are almost certain to enjoy this one as well and I would highly recommend giving it a watch or even blind buying it. It’s pretty rare when sequels hold up this well and fans of both the genre and the first film will definitely not want to miss out on this one.
VIDEO:
The Blu-Ray release of ‘Insidious: Chapter 2’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation utilizing the film’s original 2.39:1 Cinemascope Aspect Ratio. Once again Sony proves to be one of the absolute best studios out there when it comes to the quality of their Blu-Ray transfers. Once again, I could not find even a minimal fault with any aspect of this video presentation and fans of the film (as well as those viewing it for the first time such as myself) will be beyond pleased with this absolutely gorgeous High Definition video presentation.
AUDIO:
The Blu-Ray release features a lossless 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. ‘Insidious: Chapter 2’ is definitely one of those films that is enormously complemented by its soundtrack presentation as much (or even more) than the video. There are numerous occurrences of random quiet and loud noises that will pop up in any speaker at any given time, and it really throws you for a ride during the viewing. There is constant activity occurring and rotating throughout all of the channels during a large portion of the movie, and if you do have a surround setup, I would highly recommend that you make sure to crank this one up a bit extra and make certain those speakers are probably placed, because you are certainly going to be glad that you did so. This is one lossless 5.1 soundtrack that the fellow horror fans and audiophiles out there are certainly going to be having some fun with.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The Blu-Ray release of ‘Insidious: Chapter 2’ includes some pretty nice and informative extras, certainly more than the DVD release as the majority of them are Blu exclusives. The extras included on the DVD & Blu-Ray releases are: ‘Peripheral Vision: Behind the Scenes’ and ‘Ghostly Transformation’, while the additional special features that are exclusive to the Blu-Ray release include: ‘Haunted Hospital: On Location’ ‘Leigh Whannell’s Insidious Journal’ ‘Work In Progress: On Set Q & A’ and ‘Insidious: Spectral Sightings’ (which is a three part webisode).
Film Rating: 9/10
Disc Rating: 9/10
‘Insidious: Chapter 2’ is now available to own on Blu-Ray Combo Pack & DVD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.