The Conjuring 2 (2016) REVIEW

Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) are back and getting ever more involved with hauntings in creepy suburban American houses. We find them in Amityville at the start, where Lorraine meets a evil spirit in the form of a Nun, and she has a shocking vision. Shaken by this, she tells Ed they need to stop investigating these cases before something very bad happens. Meanwhile across the Atlantic, in Enfield, England, the Hodgson family are experiencing a poltergeist that is toying with Janet, one of the elder siblings. Janet has started sleep walking and hearing strange things. 

Once the rest of the family begin to experience similar disturbing things, they call the police who urge them to call the Church - this is beyond police work! Soon a TV crew are documenting it all and the Warrens are brought over to see what all the fuss is a about. But Lorraine can't sense anything, no matter how much she wants to believe them, which only disturbs her further....
The Conjuring 2, as with the first one, looks glorious. The cinematography is sleek, crafted to cause the highest impact scares. The camera won't quite turn to show a ghost, or moves so slowly we know something is coming. This is a stellar horror sequel. The film actually moves at a quicker pace than the first which I think is to it's credit. Director James Wan is now a horror veteran, he knows how to please and horrify the audience in equal measure. In the Nun spirit, he has truly created a deeply creepy character , the scene with her in the Warren's office will honestly, give you chills.
Wilson and Farmiga are still an excellent team, the English family are pretty good, wonky teeth and all. As with any horror film it can't avoid all cliche's - but for the most part the generic haunting scenes feel a cut above the rest. There's one CGI moment that just looked so bad that it took me out of the film (the crooked man, anyone?). The climax very intense, but some of the plot points weren't quite explained enough to for me. Overall, a spectacular horror sequel, full of intrigue and genuine scares. You won't sleep for weeks! 8.5/10