Cross dressing serial murderers, a psychopathic mother and a possessed father: all of which are featured in Insidious: Chapter 2.  It delves deeper into the original plot, however its heavy focus on story content outweighs the element of horror. Many viewers may be left disappointed in the lack of classic scares that were so prominent in the first Insidious.

The general plot for Insidious: Chapter 2 goes something like this: Elise, the medium from the last Insidious, is found strangled to death. Her old team, led by her friend Carl, tries to connect with her from the other side. They do find her, but they also summon something much darker, the “Bride in Black,” a cross-dressing serial murderer who terrorizes living people. The Bride in Black possesses Josh – the father— and attempts to kill his family.

The film introduces viewers to thought-provoking plot concepts, which certainly diversifies it from other competing movies. However, what director James Wan failed to achieve was a balance between this unique story and keeping the audience at the edge of their seats with scares. The majority of people coming to watch the movie did not pay for an elaborate story, they paid to be scared.

The dark and suspenseful cinematography, led by John R. Leonetti, was a highlight of the movie. The sinister undertones of the film were greatly enhanced by the eerie shot angles and color palates that were used. The use of fog was also very prominent, as it was in the first Insidious, which is always helpful in creating a cold and creepy surrounding.

Another highlight of the film was the music, composed by Joseph Bishara. The shrieking violins that play over the title “Insidious” are iconic to both Insidious films. He brilliantly builds up the suspense without overdoing it, uncommon for music leading up to a jump-cut in horror movies. Bishara’s compositions are also conservatively used; in some scenes there is actually no music, which is an interesting technique that adds a more realistic element to the movie.

In many ways, Insidious: Chapter 2 has content that “good horror movies” should really consist of, but it lacks in attention-grabbing shrieks and screams from that most Insidious fans thought they were paying to see.