Insidious: Chapter 2 2013

As the camera pans back in time, we find Josh (Patrick Wilson) Lambert as a young boy, struggling to confront the enigmatic figure with blood-red lipstick, who had taken Elise’s life at the end of the first film. In this flashback, Elise and Carl are summoned to aid in the crisis, as Josh’s mother Lorraine is increasingly worried about her son’s well-being. It soon becomes apparent that Josh possesses a unique ability - astral projection during his sleep - which allows him to traverse realms unseen. As Elsie conducts an interview with Josh through the lens of an old VHS camera, her questions are met with unsettling responses that send shivers down her spine. The session takes a curious turn as Elsie proposes a game of “hot and cold” with Josh, during which they stumble upon him conversing with someone, only for a door to mysteriously swing open without any visible means of entry.

The scene shifts to the present day, where Renai is confiding in Detective Michael Beach about the tragic demise of her beloved Elise. The detective assures her that he will keep her informed as to whether or not the marks on Elise’s body were inflicted by Josh’s own hands. As the Lambert family moves in with Lorraine, seeking refuge from the unsettling events of their past, they soon discover that the horrors they experienced have followed them.

Tension builds as strange occurrences begin to unfold. Renai is startled by the sound of piano keys being pressed and a baby chair moving on its own. Her unease reaches a boiling point when she discovers Dalton, her young son, sleeping peacefully, yet warning her in his sleep that someone lurks behind her. As Lorraine investigates further, she finds herself trapped in the bathroom, where a mysterious figure appears before her.

Josh’s reassuring voice echoes through the door, calming the situation. However, this newfound sense of security is short-lived, as the family soon finds themselves on edge once more. During Josh’s trip to school with the kids, Renai becomes increasingly jumpy, setting up baby speakers in an attempt to soothe her frazzled nerves. It is then that she catches a glimpse of a woman clad in Victorian attire sitting on the couch.

The lady rises from her seat, speaking malevolently through the baby speakers, sending chills down Renai’s spine. In a desperate bid to escape the unfolding terror, Renai rushes up the stairs only to find the door slamming shut behind her, locking her out. As she listens in horror, she hears the woman taunting the baby and then striking it with a cruel hand. The door opens once more, revealing the unthinkable: the baby is nowhere to be found.

Renai’s panic reaches a fever pitch as she descends the stairs, only to be confronted by the mysterious woman, who unleashes a vicious blow that sends her crashing to the floor. “HOW DARE YOU!!” the woman screams, her rage palpable as she strikes Renai with brutal force.

As Lorraine’s unease simmers just below the surface, she turns to Specks and Tucker (the seasoned paranormal investigators who had collaborated with Elise in her former life) in a desperate bid to unravel the mysteries plaguing her family. Though they’re unable to offer much assistance, their conversation is suddenly imbued with a poignant longing when Lorraine wistfully declares, “if only Elise was still here.” This nostalgic sentiment sparks a recollection in Specks and Tucker’s minds, prompting them to recall Carl - the enigmatic spirit medium who had played a pivotal role in the events of 1986. With a mix of trepidation and resolve, they decide to reach out to Carl, hoping his unique abilities might shed light on the inexplicable occurrences.

Carl arrives at Elise’s home, bearing a somber apology for his delayed intervention, motivated by the fear of what he had witnessed in the past. As Lorraine shares her tale of woe, Carl listens intently before initiating contact with Elise through the ancient art of word dice divination. The trio - Lorraine, Specks, and Tucker - gather around a table as Carl begins to pose questions to Elise, seeking answers from beyond the veil. With each roll of the dice, they’re met with cryptic yet revelatory messages that slowly unravel the tangled threads of their predicament.

The first revelation comes in the form of a resounding “yes” - a confirmation that Elise is indeed present and willing to communicate. Subsequent questions yield more concrete answers: “who killed you?” yields the ominous reply, ‘she did’; followed by the cryptic instruction, “hiding,” which ultimately points them towards Our Lady of Angels - an abandoned hospital where Lorraine had once worked and where the saga with Josh had begun.

Meanwhile, back at their home, Josh returns to find Renai lying motionless on the floor. As he attempts to revive her, his demeanor suddenly shifts, and he’s overcome by a strange, almost feral instinct. He begins to sniff Renai’s skin and hair, as if drawn to some primal force. Renai regains consciousness, her voice laced with desperation as she warns Josh that their child has been spirited away - only to be met with his dismissive denial. Despite her pleas for them to flee the site of the horrors they’ve faced, Josh stubbornly refuses to acknowledge the threat, convinced that ignoring the problems will make them disappear.

As if on cue, the sound of piano music wafts through the air, drawing Renai and Josh together in a shared moment of unease. Their search for the source yields no visible culprit, but Renai’s mind is left reeling as she realizes the tune being played is none other than the melody she had written specifically for Josh - a song he seemingly has forgotten. The dissonance between their perceptions serves only to deepen the sense of foreboding that hangs over them like a shroud, threatening to consume them at any moment.

As Renai’s concerns about Josh’s well-being reach a boiling point, he hastily escorts her from the room, assuring her that everything is fine, while his eyes gleam with an unsettling intensity. As they depart, a chilling smile spreads across his face as he utters the enigmatic phrase: “Your home is the shadows, now.” Meanwhile, in the very same room, Josh’s astral projection takes on a life of its own, manifesting at the piano where it pounds out a discordant melody and lets out a blood-curdling scream for help.

The next morning, Dalton confides in his mother Renai about the recurring nightmares that have been plaguing him - dark visions featuring the deceased and an otherworldly old woman. More pressing, however, is the unsettling discovery he’s made about his father. As Renai confronts Josh about her own unsettling encounter with the mysterious woman in their home, Dalton happens to catch a glimpse of his father in a distant hallway, berating himself and addressing another unseen individual. The gravity of this realization dawns on him: the physical Josh Lambert is not inhabited by the soul of his true self.

As Lorraine, Specs, Tucker, and Carl venture into the abandoned Our Lady of Angels hospital, Carl expertly guides them to the correct room, which holds a poignant significance for Lorraine. Flashing back to 1986, we see the young Lorraine and Josh entering this very same ICU unit, where they encounter a seemingly tranquil patient named Parker Crane. Josh’s gaze drifts away from the scene, only to be brutally attacked by Parker as nurses rush in to restrain him. The family swiftly exits, but not before the trauma of that moment sears itself into their collective psyche.

Fast-forward to Lorraine on an elevator, where she encounters Parker once more - this time, he’s awake and eerily silent. Her attempts at small talk are met with stony indifference as they arrive on the main floor. Parker glides silently off towards the left, while Lorraine heads for the lobby, seeking answers from the receptionist about Parker Crane’s inexplicable resurrection. The truth finally dawns: Parker had taken his own life by jumping from the very same building that morning.

The weight of these revelations settles upon the family like a shroud, as they begin to grasp the true nature of their haunted reality and the malevolent forces that lurk in the shadows, waiting to strike.

As Lorraine, Specs, Tucker, and Carl delve into the mysterious records of Parker Crane, they uncover a dark legacy that threatens to consume them. The abandoned house, once home to the notorious serial killer, yields secrets as they explore its labyrinthine passages. In Parker’s room, they stumble upon a hidden child who warns them to depart before her mother, Mater Mortis - “Mother Death” - exacts a terrible retribution.

Just then, fate nearly intervenes, as the crystal chandelier hangs precariously in mid-air, narrowly missing its intended victims. As the dust settles, they discover a concealed room behind a bookcase, where a ghastly tableau unfolds: rows of cloth-covered figures and a treasure trove of newspaper articles detailing the gruesome exploits of “The Black Bride,” Parker Crane’s infamous alter ego.

As Carl’s fingers brush against the black wedding dress, visions of murder and mayhem flash before him. He beholds a macabre scene: a man applying makeup as a bound woman screams in terror, ultimately meeting her demise at his hands. The horrifying truth dawns on them - Parker Crane, under Mater Mortis’ sinister direction, was the mastermind behind the heinous crimes.

With this ghastly revelation, they realize the true nature of their adversary and hasten to tranquillize Josh (now inhabited by Parker’s malevolent spirit) in a desperate bid to exorcise the evil. However, their efforts are thwarted as Carl falls victim to the forces of darkness, Specs is knocked unconscious, and “Josh” turns on Tucker with the hypodermic syringe, rendering him insensate.

In the Further/Shadows, Carl’s spirit converges with Josh’s, and they acknowledge that their only hope lies in rescuing Josh from his demonic possession. They set out to locate Elise, who possesses the power to liberate Josh from the clutches of evil. Their quest takes them back to Josh’s childhood home, where a familiar figure from their earlier adventures - the long-haired man - paces ominously.

Just as he prepares to strike at an innocent baby, Elise bursts forth and vanquishes the demon, banishing it through the window. In this climactic moment, they grasp the gravity of their situation: Josh’s soul hangs precariously in the balance, and only Elise can restore him to his mortal form.

As the desperate Elise implores Josh and Carl to return to the site where Parker’s tumultuous past unfolded, a haunting imperative drives them back to the very location where it all began. In the present, as “Josh” (Carl inhabiting) sends a cryptic text to Renai, alerting her that the coast is clear, they embark on a perilous journey to the foreboding house. Upon arrival, they’re ambushed by the malevolent “Josh,” prompting Dalton’s hasty intervention, which allows Renai and the two boys to seek refuge in the basement.

Meanwhile, in the realm of the Further, Carl and Josh find themselves at Lorraine’s doorstep, from which they embark on a treacherous odyssey to uncover the secrets of the old lady’s abode. Upon entering, they’re met with an unsettling tableau: Parker, garbed as a girl, wails in despair, protesting his name is indeed Parker. His mother’s sudden arrival, brandishing a drawing created by her son, yields a scathing rebuke: “DID YOU DO THIS?!?” As the scene unfolds, Parker initially denies authorship, only to confess, sparking a fierce outburst from his mother.

As the maternal fury reaches a boiling point, she reveals that Parker’s true name is not Parker, but Marilyn – a revelation that shatters any semblance of reality. In the midst of this chaos, Carl and Josh find themselves hurtled backward, their presence unmasked to the wrathful mother, who seizes the opportunity to unleash a vengeful horde of spectral victims upon them.

In the real-time narrative, Josh’s malevolent intentions remain unchecked as he converges on the basement, intent on claiming Renai and her sons. However, his attention is momentarily piqued by Dalton’s somnambulant form, allowing Renai to narrowly escape his clutches.

As Elise, Carl, and Josh in the Further find themselves at a crossroads, they’re aided by Parker, who, uniquely attuned to his childhood domain, successfully breaches the door slammed shut by Mrs. Crane. With this breakthrough, Elise seizes control of the narrative, employing a rocking horse as an instrument of vengeance against Mrs. Crane’s memories – a cathartic act that obliterates her dark past once and for all.

As Parker destroys every vestige of his mother’s influence, Elise issues a solemn directive: it’s time to depart, as this existence is rapidly disintegrating. She reveals to Carl that she sensed the beating of his heart, affirming that he remains alive – a fragile thread of hope in the face of overwhelming despair.

As Josh and Carl make a hasty retreat from the disintegrating room, they abandon Elsie behind, leaving her to face the desolate emptiness of the Further alone. The darkness outside proves to be no refuge for them as they’re beset by malevolent spirits seeking to breach the boundaries between worlds. Amidst this turmoil, they stumble upon Dalton and manage to fight their way back into the real world.

In the present, the trio awakens in their natural forms, their spirits replete with memories of their extraordinary journey. The scene shifts to Josh’s living room where Carl takes center stage, his eyes locked intently on Josh as he reveals that he now possesses the ability to hypnotize them, just as Elise had done for young Josh back in 1986. With this newfound power, Carl intends to make them forget their capacity to astral project, thereby preventing the inadvertent importation of wayward spirits into our world.

As they succumb to hypnosis, the camera zooms in on Josh’s tranquil countenance as his mind begins to erase its recollection of the Further. The screen gradually fades to black, only to slowly brighten to an intense white, signaling a new beginning.

In the epilogue, we are treated to a surreal landscape where clouds gather on the horizon. The camera pans down from this celestial backdrop to a tranquil suburban setting where Specs and Tucker knock at the door of a family home. Their mission is to deliver a crucial message to their relative, Allison - the sole survivor of the Bride in Black’s gruesome rampage. Her testimony would provide the key to unraveling the mystery behind Parker Crane’s atrocities, as revealed by the newspaper clipping found earlier in his dilapidated abode.

As the family’s youngest member innocently inquires about the mysterious figure lurking just beyond her parents’ presence, Specs and Turner are caught off guard by the sudden absence of any visible entity. But what follows is a jarring juxtaposition: through the piercing gaze of the little girl, we are privy to Elise’s unassuming arrival behind them, her enigmatic smile illuminating an otherwise ordinary scene. With an air of quiet authority, she coaxes Allison out of her catatonic state, her words weaving a gentle spell that slowly stirs the young woman from her trance-like state.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the house grows increasingly foreboding as the sound of unseen malevolent entities echoes through the halls, casting a pall of unease over the family. Elise’s kindly demeanor, however, remains unwavering as she continues to coax Allison out of her stupor, her eyes locked intensely on the young woman’s face.

But just as it seems that all is well, the air is punctuated by an unsettling, guttural creaking noise emanating from the shadows. As Elise’s gaze ascends towards the ceiling, she beholds a scene of unholy terror: the light fixtures are swaying in time with some unseen force, and her smile falters, replaced by an expression of pure, unadulterated horror as she utters a trembling declaration: “Oh, my god!”