The Conjuring 2 Review

So I totally missed this one when it was in theaters. Mostly because I really have no time to go to the theater anymore and it costs a bunch of money that I would rather spend elsewhere. Anyway, I finally got my chance to see this movie this week thanks to PSN finally having it available to rent. I will say that the first one is among my favorite movies, so keep reading to see if this one held up to my very high expectations.

The Conjuring 2 takes place after the events of the first movie. Ed and Lorraine Warren, played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, have just been to the famous Amityville Horror House in order to see if there was some sort of possession/demon work going on there. While Lorraine was able to find something, the family reporting the strange happenings admit that it was a hoax and the Warren’s are basically discredited. Cut to a simple little struggling family in London in 1977. Because trying to keep a roof over her 4 kids heads wasn’t enough for this single mother, turns out that her house is now possessed and so is her daughter. Since it was a huge media spectacle at the time, the Catholic Church refused to help until someone could tell that this family wasn’t faking it. Que the Warren’s who then travel to London to see if this family is really possessed or if it’s just another hoax.

These movies are based off of true stories, with some embellishments throw in for good measure. While the first one was amazing, I found this one to be a little subpar. Being Catholic myself I usually shy away from these movies because they’re a little freaky and I watched the Exorcist at a really young age and was completely freaked out. Getting over that there was something that drew me to the first movie and I actually found the story along with the Warren’s fascinating. Cut to the second movie where things that were said and done in the first movie were kind of switched around in the second movie. First of all Lorraine see’s this demon in one of her visions in the Amityville house and then continues to see it throughout the rest of the movie. It’s then the same demon that is possessing this house in London. Based off of the first movie, it’s usually an object that’s possessed within the house and then attaches itself to the occupant of the house so this story line kind of counter acts what was said in the first movie. Not saying that this family didn’t have this happen to them, it’s just the movie itself contradicted itself which made it a little less interesting for me. If you’re going to continue with these movies based off the Warren’s life work then it should be consistent and not have extra things thrown in just to get a good scare.

Bringing back the two main characters from the first movie, I mean they kind of had to, the rest of the cast is brand new and to tell you the truth it really isn’t about the secondary cast. The movie is basically about the Warren’s even though they go and investigate this family. They’re a typical family played by typical actors who do alright in the role. I will say that the acting in this movie isn’t great, but it’s decent enough to sell the movie and make it work. The best acting of course comes from Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga who really capture this aspect of who the Warren’s are and their relationship.

Overall I give this movie a 3 out of 5.

While I absolutely loved the first movie and will watch it whenever it’s on, this one is kind of a one and done for me. I seen it and that was all I needed to see. I really didn’t like that it felt inconsistent with the first one, even though I did enjoy the fact that it went more into the Warren’s relationship and what they do. If you seen the first movie and enjoyed it then it’s probably a safe bet that you’ll want to see this one. If you haven’t seen the first movie, then you’ll probably want to skip this one since it wasn’t really anything all that special.