2011's Insidious rattles no cages in the world of horror, but it still did its papa genre proud. Saw's James Wan crafted out of dusty cliches a haunted house outing that was outright fun, not to mention stocked with characters we were actually sorry to see fall under supernatural assault. The flick was a deserved hit, cueing the inevitable sequel to spook up some extra coin and be scrutinized to some degree by its predecessor's fans. Insidious: Chapter 2 is, to be fair, in a better position than many horror follow-ups are afforded, with the original's primary cast and creative team onboard for the second scare. But where mystery was everything with the first film, this one unwisely gives viewers a long look behind the curtain, its suspenseful flow being consistently halted by unbidden answers to questions much better left in the dark.

Picking up immediately after the previous picture's ending, Insidious: Chapter 2 shows that all is not well in the house of Lambert. Renai (Rose Byrne) had hoped that her hubby Josh (Patrick Wilson) rescued their son's soul from a ghostly netherworld with no hiccups, but those persistent bumps in the night say otherwise. Despite her pleas that the evil that plagued their family still has yet to bugger off, Josh seems suspiciously cool and quick to shoot down any claims about them still being in danger. Little does Renai know her husband brought back a little something from his trip to the other side, a parasitic force refusing to stay dead and buried. With the paranormal activity increasing and Josh's behavior becoming increasingly erratic, Renai has no choice but to dig for the awful truth and free her family from their demonic tormentors for good.

Insidious: Chapter 2 seems more unnecessary than bad. It's not for a lack of trying on the part of Wan and company, who go to great lengths to preserve the look and continuity of the first film. But the Lamberts' story already went out on a perfectly chilling note, and Chapter 2's way of extending it entails a series of explanations and revelations with no hope of living up to what our imaginations cooked up after watching the original. There's just so much busywork at play here that amounts to nothing, and the slight change in tone becomes a detriment to whatever ominous atmosphere the film intended to build up. Although the supernatural remains part of the program, Insidious: Chapter 2 fancies itself more of a psychological thriller, focused on "Josh" careening towards madness and eventually going full Jack Torrance on his family. I've no problem with this aspect of the movie (which is executed rather effectively), but the rest of the scares here struck me as kind of cheap, littered with so many creepy-looking dolls and children's songs belted out with a sinister slant, you'd swear Wan was trolling the audience.

The fact that it's not very scary is kind of a big deal for something like Insidious: Chapter 2. It doesn't lob its predecessor's curveballs, settling for bland and traditional frights over taking us in new directions once we think we've figured everything out. This isn't a bad thing, but it doesn't make for terribly exciting cinema, even when it's clear as day that everyone behind and in front of the camera are doing their best to make it work. The actors are just fine (with Wilson turning progressively more gaunt throughout the film), the cinematography looks  sharp, and the production design does a solid job of turning an innocuous suburban setting into Spook Central. All those who made Insidious a success came back to ensure that this one would follow in its footsteps, but while they've cranked out a perfectly watchable horror show on its own, the sequel ends up being shorter on inspiration and the number of risks taken.

Insidious: Chapter 2 does its job but leaves you frothing at the mouth for just a little extra something. Because of its even greater success at the box office than the original, a third installment seems more than likely en route, which one can only hope goes really nuts and boasts something other than more leering ghouls in pancake make-up. To quote the chestnut all parents unfurl at some point or another, I'm not mad at Insidious: Chapter 2; I'm just disappointed.

(Released by Film District and rated "PG-13" by MPAA.)