10) Insidious: Chapter 2
Everyone else is talking about how bad Insidious: Chapter 2 is, and here I am putting it in my top 10 horror movies of the year. For the life of me, I can’t figure out where the disconnect with this movie stems from. The original film received some pretty serious acclaim, really brought James Wan into a new light, and showed that paranormal horror could still be original and scary. For my money, James Wan and Leigh Whannell followed their first film perfectly, expanded upon mythology, answered lingering questions, and introduced even more questions to keep the story going. Apparently I’m one of the only people who thinks so, though.
Insidious: Chapter 2 is a perfect follow up that features an upped ante from everyone involved. While I admit some of Specs and Tucker’s comedy felt a little forced, all the actors brought another level to their characters. Looking specifically at Patrick Wilson, he’s given so much more freedom to flex his horror muscles while playing a character with two sides – the dark and the light. Watching Wilson descend into madness creates some seriously fun cinema for viewers, but this isn’t in the place of scares, either. Everything that made Insidious so eerily creepy comes back to scare us mercilessly again, making this sequel one of the better watches of 2013.
Haters are always going to hate, whether it’s a grudge against Wan or sequels, but James proves he’s the master of atmospheric tension once again, and scores a much deserved spot on this list. Maybe we’ll see him again as we continue counting down?
For more on Insidious: Chapter 2, check out our exclusive video interview with the cast below.
