![]() More recently, the duo have been spearheading a “back to basics” approach, trying to construct accessible horror films built around traditional “jump” scares and loud string and brass sections. They helped define the genre in the early years of the twenty-first century when they produced Saw, which remains a horror classic, even if the torture porn subgenre it inspired has a lot to answer for. ![]() The duo are a driving force in modern mainstream horror cinema. To be fair, it’s hard to envy writer Leigh Whannel and director James Wan. Well, at least it’s an amicable haunting… Insidious: Chapter 2 has moments where it works very well, but also spends a significant amount of its running time groping in the dark. ![]() Slasher and serial killer movies are hard to get right at the best of times, and the movie’s climax feels awkward grafted on to a possession story. Splitting the cast up is too convenient a narrative device and diffuses (rather than maintains) the tension. While there are moments of wit, the humour and heightened camp occasionally causes tonal confusion. However, these attempts aren’t as successful as they might be. It subtly shifts its frame of reference from movies about possession and haunting toward a different sort of horror film. It splits the main cast up in order to allow it to try to maintain a constant sense of pressure, while also delving into back story and origin. It embraces an almost camp aesthetic to help compensate for the fact that it effectively kicks off at maximum volume, relishing the sheer absurdity of its demonic co-stars. Insidious: Chapter 2 faces these challenges, and – to its credit – it tries to work around them. ![]() It’s very hard to follow on from that – where do you go? It’s very difficult to wind the tension back down and start ramping up from scratch, and the same trick is never as effective the second time. After all, strong horror films typically work by ramping up the pressure on the central character, building inexorably towards a climax. Horror sequels are tough to execute, particularly where you have a returning cast. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |