The Lambert family return to where they left off after part one. Josh (Patrick Wilson), Renai(Rose Byrne) and their three children, Dalton (Ty Simkins), Foster (Andrew Astor) and baby Kali pick up after the sinister events that occurred at their house and reside at Josh’ mother, Lorraines (Barbara Hershey) home. Evident that something returned with them, Josh is not that same man we met in the lead up to this.

Out of the further and into reality, it appears the old woman who haunted Josh as a young boy has finally got what s/he sought. Knowing this, Lorraine returns to the aid of Specs (Leigh Whannell) and Tucker (Angus Sampson) to finally rid the paranormal from their lives once and for all.

What they seek is not what they find and as they delve deeper into the truth of the old woman, something far more macabre comes to light which takes the Lambert family far further than they could ever have imagined.

Bringing back the dead, battling each other and tearing through paranormal clichés, Wan has created what could quite possibly be the greatest horror sequel of all time.

Those familiar with the terrifying chapter one will instantly fall into the timeline and surely appreciate how Whannell has not read the text book but instead rewritten it. Not only does ‘Insidious Chapter 2’ bring with it a closing chapter for the Lamberts but also stands tall as being a sequel that holds a different turn of events developing the seeds of a story planted in its prequel.

Some may bless that lack of Darth Maul and many other parasitic demons around Dalton here and focussing primarily on the one who brings the fear but something gets lost in all of the story telling. A flaw which so many sequels succumb to and that is a difficult one to overcome. With all of the terrifying moments you can isolate from ‘Insidious’, chapter 2 has no build up to fear knowing what the horror is. The brilliance that many new horror films have is the unpredictability and while there are many twists and turns, they are all sidesteps as there is nothing to build up to in comparison to travelling on a journey, destination unknown.

With this in mind some of the scares become diluted in the story and feel somewhat forced and added to remind us this is a scary horror film. The content of which speaks for itself but this is where Wan’s faux par kicks in. Releasing two exciting horror films within a few months is no bad thing but when both have so much in common, Patrick Wilson, Joseph Bishara and Wans terrifying magic, ‘Insidious Chapter 2’ seems to hide in the shadow of ‘The Conjuring’ in that the content seems so familiar it feels like an imitation albeit a bloody good one.

Speaking of Bishara, rest assured, the score is still as terrifyingly tense as any of his other work and will creep you out at the first violin scratch. Not only a master of his work but also a partnership not matched since Burton and Elfman.

So how do you solve a problem like a sequel? Make it the best damn story you can watch and hold a steady conclusion without branching for that unwanted sequel and leaving as satisfied as you were when you heard that there would be a sequel to one of the most terrifying films of recent years.

Wan still holds his magic, even if it was mostly put into this years other effort but fear not (well do) as behind every seen it all before jump and reference to contacting the dead has been used, ‘Insidious Chapter 2’ is a worthy sequel that lets you put that cushion down and enjoy the ride.