Horror sequels are tough. Not only does the material need to be scary again, but the story must be continued with a new, interesting direction. James Wan already directed “The Conjuring” earlier this year, which scared the daylights out of many. Now James Wan had to continue the story of his 2011 hit “Insidious,” while also re-inventing the scares, and he had to introduce something new and unique. Wan put himself in a tough situation, and his latest horror film “Insidious: Chapter 2,” somewhat represents just how tough his task was in making this sequel.

“Insidious: Chapter 2” follows the Lambert family immediately after the events of the first film. They are staying at the grandmother’s house while the police investigate their home after the horrific paranormal events of the first film.

The Lamberts try to get back to their normal lives again, but things just don’t seem right. Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson) the father of the family, just isn’t quite the person he once was. He doesn’t seem to be worried about anything, and he always seems to be in the worst place when the paranormal happenings start up again. But as the film progresses, Josh’s family starts to realize that he might have brought more of the spirit world of “The Further” back with him than he thought, and that an evil force that started all the way back at Josh’s mother’s hospital; where she once worked, just might have a connection to this haunting force.

One thing that this sequel does really well is making certain scenes significant to the first film. It gives the viewer the impression that both films connect, and that everything happens in these two films for a reason. The film also has some well-executed flashback scenes that help to show why certain characters are the way they are, good or evil. Rose Byrne and Barbara Hershey, who play the wife and grandmother; respectively, get a lot more to do in this sequel. The grandmother specifically has a very significant connection to these paranormal forces.

Though “Insidious: Chapter 2” provides plenty of scares for it’s viewers, there are some issues with it that might prevent it from becoming a horror classic. To start, the world of “The Further” seems way too overcomplicated for this sequel. It even breaks the rules and restrictions that it had throughout the first film, just to make the sequel’s plot work. The film also has a tendency to over-explain things, even for content that’s not significant to the storyline. Mystery is good sometimes. At one point, Patrick Wilson’s character temporarily takes a different turn that feels very ludicrous and almost distasteful.

“Insidious: Chapter 2” is by no means a bad film. There are just certain elements about it preventing it from being great. Maybe James Wan isn’t meant for sequels. For those who liked the first “Insidious” film, this might be a great future rental.