The Conjuring 2

Not only is it surprising when a sequel actually improves on the original, but it is downright spooky when the original was great to begin with. This is the case with director James Wan's creepfest "The Conjuring 2."

Like a paranormal "X-Files," the series centers on iconic real-life couple the Warrens, who spent their lives investigating supernatural occurrences around the world. Using actual investigations from their files, the films detail what the Warrens experienced, while also spending a good deal of time with the victims of the ghostly attacks.

While the first film involved an investigation into an early '70s haunting in Rhode Island, the sequel moves the action to England to dive into the legendary Enfield Poltergeist - one of the most well-documented hauntings on record. Not to ignore their most famous case, the film opens during the investigation into the infamous Amityville haunting, where Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) are in the middle of a s�ance as they attempt to uncover the truth behind the events that occurred there. This puts Lorraine smack in the middle of her own paranormal event - one which haunts her throughout the film.

Because of that encounter, Lorraine tells Ed she wants to temporarily stop the ghostbusting. While he agrees, the two are soon contacted by an American priest who plays them a disturbing recording of an 11-year-old British girl who is seemingly possessed by a deceased man. Reluctantly, the two travel to England to dive into the mystery.

Writers Carey Hayes, Chad Hayes, and David Johnson, along with Wan, wisely spend a good deal of time with the Hodgson family before the Warrens arrive. Living in a brick home in Brimsdown, Enfield, England, mom Peggy (Frances O'Connor) is a down-on-her luck single mother with bills to pay and four kids to raise. Youngest daughter Janet (an excellent Madison Wolfe) has just gotten in trouble for smoking at school (she wasn't) and her youngest brother Billy (Benjamin Haigh) is being bullied for his stutter. Oldest daughter Margaret (Lauren Esposito) does her best to watch over the lot, while their middle brother Johnny (Patrick McAuley) sort of gets lost in all the goings-on at home.

Those goings-on begin when Janet starts talking to someone unseen in her room in the middle of the night. But she doesn't just talk to it, she also speaks in its voice. And that voice is saying, "Get out of my house." After a plethora of frightening paranormal events, the family realizes they are being haunted, and whatever is after them is targeting Janet. But this isn't just a family claiming they have spooks in their house. Other people see these occurrences, including two police officers who find nothing unusual in the home until a chair slides across one room and then into another. Soon enough the Warrens arrive, and the house goes on lockdown so they can discover the source of the haunting and save poor Janet.

The surprises and reveals are best left for audiences to discover, but suffice to say that this is a wonderfully creepy and unnerving follow-up to the original. It has a standalone story, but also continues to portray the loving and complicated relationship of the Warrens. (Wan even wisely - and surprisingly - ends the film on a tender note.)

One of the best aspects of this sequel is Wan's ability to infuse the proceedings with humor reminiscent of movies like "Poltergeist." (His use of the Bee Gees' "I Started a Joke" is particularly amusing.) He has also learned from his past films that loud noises and startling music are cheap ways to scare his audience. Here, he uses long takes and slowly ratchets up the dread to build white-knuckle tension that almost always pays off. Sure, there are plenty of jump-out-of-your-seat moments, but he doesn't always use percussive noises to drive it home. Sometimes it's just quiet and unnerving.

Speaking of unnerving, for anyone that knows the story of The Enfield Poltergeist, there is a famous sequence that illustrates how the people investigating the haunting tried to prove that Janet wasn't just putting on voices for effect. To do so, they made her hold water in her mouth while they called on her possessor to start talking. This sequence is filmed with the camera focused on Ed Warren while an unfocussed image of Janet rests in the background. But that image almost unnoticeably morphs into something else. It's a terrific effect, and one that will give you nightmares.

Truth be told, there are a lot of dramatic liberties taken here. Much of what occurs is amplified from the original case (or invented). The things that are based on literal fact do come back during the end credits, where we not only get to hear the actual recording of Janet speaking in her possessor's voice, but see pictures of the family and of the supernatural events themselves. (There is a famous picture of Janet levitating into the air which has always been scrutinized.) Many believe that the family was faking the haunting for publicity, while those involved with the case claim that everything was undeniably true. (That recording is so disturbing, it's impossible to think a little girl faked it.)

Speaking of Janet, Madison Wolfe is the real surprise here. Having had a number of roles in mainstream fare, she not only does a spot-on British accent, but she also embodies Janet with all the fear, confusion, exhaustion, and creepiness that the character calls for. She's as close to Oscar caliber as you can get for a horror movie. Farmiga and Wilson are perfect once again, even if the characters sometimes induce laughs and skepticism. The rest of the cast, including O'Connor as the put-upon mother, all shine as well.

This is what helps movies like "The Conjuring 2" rise above normal horror fare.

It has good writing, great special-effects, and top-notch performances. This is a genuine leave-your-lights on, check under the bed, keep a crucifix nearby old-school fright fest. You'll love it.