The Conjuring 2 (Mini Review Series) (Netflix/HBO Max)

Initial release date: June 10, 2016

Studios: Warner Bros New Line Cinema Safran Company Atomic Monster

Tagline: Enflield, London 1977. The next true story from the case files of Ed and Lorraine Warren.

Plot: In 1977, paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren come out of a self-imposed sabbatical to travel to Enfield, a borough in north London. There, they meet Peggy Hodgson, an overwhelmed single mother of four who tells the couple that something evil is in her home. Ed and Lorraine believe her story when the youngest daughter starts to show signs of demonic possession. As the Warrens try to help the besieged girl, they come the next targets of the malicious spirit.

Cast

Patrick Wilson (The Conjuring 3) - Ed Warren

Vera Farmiga (The Conjuring 3) - Lorraine Warren

Madison Wolfe - Janet Hodgson

Frances O’Connor (Showtime’s The End) - Peggy Hodgson

Lauren Esposito - Margaret Hodgson

Benjamin Haigh (Victoria & Abdul) - Billy Hodgson

Patrick McAvley (Hurricane Heist) - Johnny Hodgson

Simon McBurney - Maurice Grosse

Franka Potente - Anita Gregory

Sterling Jerins - Judy Warren

Steve Coulter - Father Gordon

Writer(s): Chad Hayes and Carey W. Hayes (The Turning)

James Wan

David Leslie Johnson -McGoldrick (The Conjuring 3; Aquaman)

Director: James Wan (Aquaman; Furious 7)

Rated R for terror and horror violence (134 min)

Continuing on with re-watching the ‘Conjuring’ franchise is the 2016 sequel ‘The Conjuring 2.’

It’s really uncommon to have a sequel that is nearly as good as the original - especially in the horror genre. And, ‘The Conjuring 2’ really nails it with the scares and chills.

The scares are genuinely great and the suspense is definitely there. Even though this horror sequel is really good, it seems like it sort of relies more on jump scares and a few typical horror movie cliches.

The sequel introduces us to a scary side character (the creepy nun) and her moments really stick out. Due to the audience’s reactions to the Nun character, she ended up getting her own spin-off in the ‘Conjuring’ universe.

So, overall, ‘The Conjuring 2’ is a chilling and entertaining follow up. Granted, even though the 2013 movie is actually better, the second movie comes pretty close.

Just like the first movie, the first sequel is available on HBO Max and Netflix. And, can also be available to rent via Vudu, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and Google Play.

Here are some interesting tidbits about ‘The Conjuring 2’:

• The remaining members of the Hodgson family visited the set. Frances O’Connor, who portrays their late mother, refused to meet them, as she feared it would affect her performance.

• James Wan was offered a “life-altering” amount of money in order to direct ‘The Fate of the Furious.’ However, he turned down that opportunity to direct this sequel instead. “I feel rejuvenated to tell a scary story one more time,” Wan wrote on Instagram.

• Some have claimed that the real Janey Hodgson is a gifted ventriloquist or has the power to manipulate voices, and she admitted to faking some events. She revealed that around 2% of the haunting was phony during an interview with The Telegraph.

• Unlike the original film, which was filmed with hopes of getting a PG-13 (though the studio and filmmakers were ultimately OK with the R that the MPAA assigned), the sequel was both written and directed with the intention that it gets an R rating.

• Two spin-off films have been greenlit, similar to the first film’s spin-off ‘Annabelle’ and its sequels. The films are set to focus on the origins of two apparitions in the film, the “Demon Nun” and the “Crooked Man,” appropriately titled ‘The Nun’ (2018) and ‘The Crooked Man’ (TBA) respectively.

• In July 2013, prior to the release of the first film, Variety reported that New Line Cinema was already in the early stages of development of a sequel, following the positive test screenings and reviews of the first film.

• The film deals with the case of the Enfield poltergeist, which took place in the London Borough of Enfield from 1977 to 1979.

• Due to an inexplicable series of events during production of the first film, a priest from the Roman Catholic Archdioceses of Sante Fe was brought in to bless the set of the sequels by the film’s producers.

• ‘Conjuring 2’ grossed $102.5 million in the US and Canada and $217.9 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $320.4 million

• The film was the highest-grossing horror film of the year and the 2nd highest-grossing horror film overall of all time, behind only 1973s ‘The Exorcist’ ($441.3 million). It was partly credited for the success of fellow Warner Bros. horror movie ‘Lights Out,’ released only a month before.