The Conjuring 2

Director: James Wan

Cast: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Frances O’Connor, Madison Wolfe

Here comes the sequel to one of the most talked-about horror flicks in contemporary times — The Conjuring, released in 2013.

A single mother of four, Peggy is struggling to make ends meet when strange things start happening around her house, almost all of them centred around her younger daughter Janet.

A voice of an old man keeps telling them to leave, as “it is my house”, which makes one wonder why they don’t, at least for a while. Specifically questioned on this by an expert, the voice answers, “I just love to hear them scream.” He even introduces himself as a previous owner who died of nothing bloodier than a haemorrhage.

That doesn’t sound like a particularly malevolent spirit, especially if left alone. But what would happen to horrors if people heeded saner thoughts? Like not go opening doors which are being pounded upon, or investigating play tents with strange noises coming from within.

So, all of that, and more, happens, even as the Warrens of New England, US, take a very, very long time making their way to the house of Peggy and her children in London.

Even there, Wan, who so expertly paced his horror in The Conjuring, portraying a loving family and then playing on our most basic fears as a mother turning on her child, lets it all fizzle out, including over maudlin details such as “celebrating Christmas together like family” — though that shouldn’t surprise given the general feel of the film. That is not for lack of effort on part of the actors, especially O’Connor and Wolfe who have you rooting for them from the first few moments of their struggling, and non-ghostly, family life. Wan also again beautifully frames a normal, run-down house as a warren of possible horrors.

At one point, Ed Warren breaks into the Elvis number Can’t Help Falling in Love With You (though he is not bad), as Lorraine looks on adoringly.

The Conjuring 2 does an unsatisfying work of tying it up with the rest of the story. Much as it does with explaining why Peggy and family keep putting themselves in harm’s way, even as all logic dictates otherwise, or why the Warrens go about solving or not solving the mystery the way they do.