‘Conjuring 2’ Is ‘Scary Good’ and 7 Other Chilling Reviews

“A horror experience that ranks as one of the better offerings of the last few years,” writes one critic

Conjuring 2 verse ed lorraine warren enfield haunting
"Conjuring 2" (New Line)

We’ve gotten so used to sequels receiving terrible reviews that this might come as a shock to you — critics are loving the follow up to 2013’s “The Conjuring.”

Critics are describing “The Conjuring 2” as “scary good” and “a horror experience that ranks as one of the better offerings of the last few years.” They are praising director James Wan‘s masterful ability to terrify his audience, and are happy with performances from Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, who reprise their roles as real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren.

“Frightening rarely strikes twice in the same place, despite the efforts of so many horror sequels, but even if ‘The Conjuring 2’ doesn’t deliver the delightful jolts of its predecessor, it maintains a consistent chill throughout, with a slow and steady dread that creeps up on you over time,” wrote TheWrap’s film critic Alonso Duralde. 

The movie follows the Warrens across the pond to investigate a haunting in London, where a single mother and her four children are being tormented by the ghost of an elderly man.

The film currently holds a 66 percent “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Still, many critics agree that it just can’t compete with the first installment, which ultimately racked up 86 percent positive reviews. The 2013 film made $137 million domestically and $318 million worldwide on just a $20 million.

Read 7 more chilling reviews below.

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone:

“Is the haunted house genre played out? It is until a goodie comes along that fries your nerves to a frazzle. ‘The Conjuring’ did it in 2013; now ‘The Conjuring 2’ does it again. The sequel overstays its welcome at a punishing 133 minutes, but that’s the only fly in the creepy ointment.”

Brian Truitt, USA Today:

“Director James Wan returns to the franchise with a freakier follow-up featuring creepy kids, villains who’ll keep you up at night and camerawork that puts moviegoers in a state of impending dread.”

Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle:

“‘The Conjuring 2’ is such a solid horror film, you won’t even think to pick it apart while it’s happening … The rewards are plentiful. This isn’t just a good horror film. It’s a good film, which just happens to fall in the horror genre.”

Jeff Beck, Examiner: 

“Well, it would appear that the writers learned a thing or two from last time, as this time around, the characters are far better developed, the scares are much more plentiful (though they do remain tethered to age-old jump scares), and the story is told in a considerably more compelling manner. Basically, the sequel takes almost everything that was wrong with the first film and vastly improves upon it, leading to a horror experience that ranks as one of the better offerings of the last few years.”

Perri Nemiroff, Collider:

“‘The Conjuring 2′ is an excellent example of what more sequels should aspire to be, unique but respectful of the tone and style established in the original movie.”

Edward Douglas, New York Daily News:

“Although the two-hour-plus running time might seem daunting, the time flies as things get more and more intense with some of the best bits being clever twists on tropes we’ve seen frequently. As with the first movie, there’s also much fun to be had from the movie’s mid-’70s setting, thereby removing most of the hi-tech gizmos that have become horror fodder in recent years. Horror fans sick of all the imitators (and sequels) have nothing to worry about here, because the ghost busters of ‘The Conjuring 2’ are scary good.”

Eric Eisenberg, CinemaBlend:

“Between the fantastic talent of and chemistry between Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, and the vision of James Wan, ‘The Conjuring 2’ demonstrates incredible potential for the emerging franchise.”

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