Insidious: Chapter 2, a 2013 sequel from writer/actor Leigh Whannell and director James Wan, is almost as idiosyncratic as its predecessor. The original film threw together ideas of ghosts, demons, psychics, astral projection, and the afterlife. It also combined them with an odd combination of horror and fantasy, including no small debt to Tobe Hooper’s Poltergeist (1982). Produced three years after the original, this sequel aims for a more grounded and realistic approach – but then doubles down on the original with even more odd paranormal ideas.

Events pick up immediately after the conclusion of the first film. Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson) appears possessed by a malevolent spirit, and has already murdered the psychic consultant Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye). While his family, including wife Renai (Rose Byrne), grow suspicious of him, Elise’s former assistants Specs (Leigh Whannell) and Tucker (Angus Sampson) investigate Josh’s links to a serial killer in his youth.

There are less demons then, and more ghosts – as well as serial killers, cross-dressing as an insanity trope, and a small amount of time travel. Even when Insidious aims for a more physicalised, realistic angle, it cannot help but throw in more ideas and incongruous elements. The cross-dressing elements feel deeply unwelcome, relying as they do on outdated stereotypes and a tasteless back story. It all feels rather lazy, to be honest. It is clear that Wan in particular is influenced by 1970s horror films; turns out both the good and bad have had an impact.

The film’s scenes inside the Further, a murky afterlife where lost spirits congregate, feel more confident and self-assured the second time around, and partly make up for the negative elements. The film largely does away with talk about demons, leaving the protagonists to face a lot of angry ghosts instead. It is a cleaner presentation of the supernatural than last time, and takes advantage of the Further’s afterlife set-up to bring Elise back into action. While I never warmed sufficiently to Lin Shaye’s performance in the original, she seems better used here by the script, and becomes a more interesting element. Specs and Tucker feel more interesting and enjoyable as well.

Patrick Wilson is excellent in what is a dual role of both Josh and Josh’s creepily possessed body. While the central role is not a difficult one, Wilson excels as an uncomfortable spirit wedged inside a deteriorating flesh suit. Flashbacks fill out his character, but also provide some of the film’s most satisfying moments.

Shortly before returning to work on Chapter 2, James Wan directed the first of Warner Bros’ Conjuring films, and it really does feel the experience gained there has been applied here. This seems a more accomplished work than the original Insidious, with some great moments of horror, some clever supernatural sequences, and a more textured, impactful aesthetic. It seems better than Insidious, but at the same time it cannot exist without it. With events picking up immediately after the original, it really only operates as a subsequent and derivative work.

It ends with a great set-up for the franchise to continue – a set-up that, to date, is yet to be taken up.