Hatcher Reporter Arich Morales describes his latest cinematic experience. 

“Insidious Chapter 2” 2013

★★★½✩✩

Compared to its 2010 precursor, “Insidious: Chapter 2” has definitely improved in plot and ambience, but still retains some laughable and trite jump scares.

James Wan, who also directed “The Conjuring,” delivers a frightening sequel that follows Josh (Patrick Wilson) and the Lambert family as they attempt to recover from the terrifying events from the first movie. But the supernatural occurrences have not gone away, and soon the Lamberts must uncover Josh’s childhood secret, which has left all of them dangerously connected to the spirit world.

If you haven’t seen the first “Insidious” it may be tougher to grasp the full plot because many seemingly minor details from the first film have huge connections in this sequel. If you haven’t seen the first one, “Insidious: Chapter 2″ still offers enough of a recap to be a stand-alone film.

This movie is also better at setting a creepy and eerie ambience. During these tense and unsettling moments, James Wan builds up the audience’s suspense by first creating a false sense of security, then delivering a few good scares.

But it also has glaring faults. Like its predecessor, the pacing in this movie can be atrocious. Part of the reason is the incorporation of humor. Many of the running gags are funny, but these throw off the overall frightening atmosphere of the film. Some of the jump scares are actually laughably unnecessary.

Overall, these faults can be forgiven, and”Insidious: Chapter 2” will definitely keep you at the edge of your seat.

Genre: Horror, Thriller
Director: James Wan
Cast: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Barbara Hershey
Release Date: Sept. 13