"Insidious: Chapter 2" Film Analysis (Page 1)

Insidious: Chapter 2

Year of Production: 2013

Director: James Wan

Genre(s): Horror/Thriller

Brief Plot Outline:

A haunted family seeks to uncover the mysterious secret that links them to the spirit world. Once the secret is revealed, the family has a long and stressful task of releasing people in order to surpass this horror.

Which two scenes impress you the most? Why?

The first scene that impressed me the most was in fact the final scene; the main reasoning behind this is because it was cleverly thought out. What makes it clever is the way that 'Collision cutting' has been used to create an emotional effect; the ending has a perfect balance of slow/quick montage which as a whole makes the film more eye-catching. Another important point based on the last scene is the fact that it has an open ending, showing you that there will definitely be a sequel.

I enjoyed the different uses of shot within the last scene as well, especially when the camera glances into the P.O.V of the little girl at the end to reveal the spirit looking straight at her creating a really good emotional effect. Another scene I liked was the use of cinematography when different sounds are alternatively causing Renai discomfort; an example of this is when the piano repeatedly plays whenever Renai is out of the room. This creates a nervous feeling on the viewer, mainly due to the fact that the music is primarily parallel and this puts you into the shoes of Renai and how she is feeling.

How has watching this film helped you understand this genre of filmmaking? Which features on the genre checklist did you spot in the film? When? How?

I think that it has helped me understand the horror genre mainly because whatever aspects of the film made me jump were clearly effective. The way the shots were filmed, a certain camera angle(s) or special effects can all have different effects on different people.

I think that the feature that was used the most from the genre checklist would have been parallel music; this really emphasises the mood within the film and makes the whole film a more exciting experience. I scene that represents this well would have to be slightly after the piano scene where the baby is screaming from upstairs and when Renai runs to attend her, the baby is silent laying within its bed.

The films setting also added to the horror mainly because it was set within a dark, woodland area. This emphasises that they cannot escape the spirit due to the enclosed location. Also the low key lighting is another well used feature within this film; this feature is mainly used when they get into contact with the spirits as the setting changes, it is also used sometimes when it makes you jump. An example of this would be when there is a moving shot heading towards a hospital bed and then suddenly the camera turns to the left revealing a scary looking, old man.