In the recession of the Golden Age of Hollywood, the suspense genre is becoming increasingly mediocre. Approximately half a century ago, Alfred Hitchcock taught America to love death. As morbid as that sounds, this part of American culture can be found in our obsession with Dateline, Law and Order, and everyone’s favorite, A Thousand Ways to Die. Frankly, all we want is some blood and gore.
Psycho, The Exorcist, The Shining, Saw, and Insidious.
Five of the most well-regarded horror/thrillers in the last half century are listed above; three of which have sequels. The most recent installment of this frightening five was Insidious: Chapter 2.
Irrefutably a disgrace to its predecessor, Insidious: Chapter 2 appeals only to the likes of early adolescents unscathed by America’s perturbing horror film franchise.
Sure, occasionally a middle-aged actress donning a Sunday school nun’s dress would bare her teeth at the screen and evoke squeals from the tweens sitting behind me, imbeciles who were undeniably freshmen, by the way. And yes, while I did bruise my date due to occasional appearances by the main antagonist, the maddening state of paranoia that usually follows my patronage of horror films was nonexistent.
James Wan’s attempt to recreate his massive success with Insidious was simply pitiful. While sporadically frightening, Insidious: Chapter 2 is an utter joke compared to James Wan’s first production in the saga. The plot was confusing in its attempt to be complex and filled with allusions to the past and psychological depth, whereas the first Insidious much more successfully violated my psyche. While its predecessor left chills down my spine, Insidious: Chapter 2 is entirely lacking in the cinematic suspense that would have Alfred Hitchcock rejoicing in his grave.