A polished, crowd-pleasing haunted-house sequel with strong atmosphere, big set pieces, and an unusually warm central relationship. It leans more into emotional melodrama and gothic spectacle than raw dread, but the craft is confident and the scares land well enough to satisfy most horror fans.
The Conjuring 2
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Horror
Wed · 2h 14m
Director: James Wan
Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Madison Wolfe
Overview
Lorraine and Ed Warren travel to north London to help a single mother raising four children alone in a house plagued by malicious spirits.
Director
James Wan
Cast
Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Madison Wolfe
Curator Review
Verdict
A polished, crowd-pleasing haunted-house sequel with strong atmosphere, big set pieces, and an unusually warm central relationship. It leans more into emotional melodrama and gothic spectacle than raw dread, but the craft is confident and the scares land well enough to satisfy most horror fans.
Best for
Viewers who like mainstream supernatural horror with strong production values
Fans of haunted-house stories with a family-in-peril setup
People who enjoy James Wan’s mix of suspense, showmanship, and sentimental character beats
Audiences who want scares that are more theatrical than extreme
Skip if
You want relentless, grim horror with little sentiment
You dislike jump scares and elaborate spectacle
You prefer understated or realistic ghost stories
You are tired of franchise-style supernatural lore
Overview
The Conjuring 2 is less interested in reinventing haunted-house horror than in perfecting a very specific studio formula, and it mostly succeeds on those terms. James Wan stages the film with real confidence, turning ordinary rooms, hallways, and living spaces into places of escalating unease. The movie knows how to build a scare, and it knows how to make those scares feel big without losing clarity.
Worth noting
What gives it extra lift is the emotional center: the Warren relationship is played with enough sincerity that the film can pivot between domestic tenderness and supernatural chaos without collapsing. That warmth is part of the appeal, even when the movie pushes into melodrama. The London setting and the Enfield haunting give it a slightly different texture from the first film, with more public spectacle and a stronger sense of gothic pageantry.
Bottom line
It is not subtle, and it is not trying to be. Some viewers will find the mythology overstuffed or the scares too familiar, but the execution is hard to dismiss. If you want a glossy, well-made ghost story with memorable imagery and strong chemistry at its core, this is an easy recommendation.
Top Letterboxd reviews
ani (2.5★) · 8108 likes
Weird how no one else is talking about that part where Patrick Wilson gets possessed by the ghost of Elvis.....
adambolt (3★) · 6155 likes
oi dats a bludee ghost innit luv
amaya (4★) · 4856 likes
if i decide that this is a romcom then a romcom it is
Jay (3★) · 4370 likes
the neighbours while the house was literally being torn apart by the spirit world while 8 people screamed in terror: yall hear sum'n?
Killian (4★) · 4157 likes
I too would be terrified if a ghost kept forcing me to watch Margaret Thatcher on TV.
Themes
haunted house, supernatural possession, family under siege, marital devotion, faith versus evil, gothic atmosphere, psychic investigation, trauma and grief