The Conjuring 2 (2016)

The Conjuring 2 is the third installment in The Conjuring Universe and the sequel to The Conjuring. Ed and Lorraine Warren return as we remember them from the original. They fly overseas to Enfield, England, to deal with one of the most difficult supernatural occurrences ever documented.

Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) recalls the brutally violent event that took place in Amityville, New York 1974 in which a man murdered his mother, father, two brothers and two sisters. Lorraine follows the spirit of the youngest boy to the basement where she sees a demonic nun and a vision of her husband Ed's (Patrick Wilson) death.

In Enfield, England 1977, single mother Peggy Hodgson (Frances O'Connor) raises her four children in a suburban home. 11-year old Janet (Madison Wolfe) starts sleep talking and walking. She sees an elderly man in her dreams claiming it's his house. Janet hears a voice and follows it downstairs. The spirit follows her back to her room and bites her. She and her sister Margaret (Lauren Esposito) wake up their mother and the entire family witnesses a dresser slamming the door shut. Terrified, they run across the street to seek help from their neighbors, the Nottinghams. The police are called and they see a chair move before their eyes. They say it's beyond their duties and they should call a church.

The local news covers the story and conducts an interview with the girls. Janet becomes possessed during the interview and the spirit identifies itself as 72-year old Bill Wilkins (Bob Adrian), who claims the house is his. The Warrens listen to the interview and agree to travel overseas to determine whether or not Janet's possession is a hoax.

The Warrens plan to stay at the Hodgson's home for three days. Ed communicates with Wilkins' spirit through Janet and that night Wilkins attacks her. Ed helps Peggy fix up the house and she is bitten by Wilkins' in the basement in attempts to drown her. Ed finds a denture in the water and matches it to the bite mark. One night, Janet is possessed by Wilkins and she's recorded destroying the kitchen as if it were a prank. The Warrens have no choice but to leave the house. Lorraine has a vision of the demonic nun controlling Wilkins to make them leave and her senses were clouded by the nun.

They quickly return to the house where everyone but Janet has been locked out of the house. Ed enters through the basement alone and lightning strike breaks the tree in the front yard, creating a sharp spike that killed Ed in Lorraine's vision. Lorraine remembers the name of the demon, Valek, and makes her way upstairs. Janet attempted suicide by jumping onto the spike but Ed grabbed her and they hold on only by a curtain. Lorraine uses the demons condemns the nun back to Hell. She saves Ed and Janet and the curse of Valek is lifted.

This recreation of the Enfield Poltergeist was the logical next step for a sequel to The Conjuring. This case generated lots of coverage in newspapers and eventually books, documentaries and this film. Like the original, it claims to be based on a true story from the Warren's case files. After watching real interviews with Janet Hodgson and Lorraine Warren, I want to believe it was true but there are many skeptics out there saying the Enfield Poltergeist was a hoax. Either way, it makes for a good plot in The Conjuring Universe.

James Wan is back, having directed Insidious: Chapter 2 and Furious 7 since the first Conjuring. He directs a plausible third installment to the franchise. The set was built in a Los Angeles studio and feels as if it were filmed in London. The house was built to replicate the actual house in Enfield. The hallways were built longer to prolong the length of certain takes for visual effect. There were more special effects used than the original which makes certain scenes feel engulfed in CGI. The Crooked Man looked entirely computer-generated until I saw Javier Botet in costume on the special features disc.

Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga have great chemistry as Ed and Lorraine Warren. Ed plays Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love" beautifully on guitar for the Hodgsons and his wife. Back at their home, Lorraine plays the song on the record player and they have a dance in the final scene.

The Conjuring 2 may not be as frightening as the original, but it's a solid sequel that shouldn't be completely overlooked. I recommend this film to fans of horror and The Conjuring Universe. 

3/4

Supplements:
Behind the Scenes Footage