The Conjuring 2 Review: 6 Ups And 2 Downs

5. There's A Balance To The Horror

The Conjuring 2 is 134 minutes long. Many 2016 movies have inexplicably wearisome runtimes - despite not having a second act X-Men: Apocalypse is two-and-a-half hours - but this one seemed the most ridiculous. And yet it doesn't hurt the experience at all thanks to the excellent balance between the horror and other tonal elements.

There's a tendency for horror films to be dominated by an overbearing gloom from the off, with whatever terrible events are to come foreshadowed heavily in a victim's life. But, just as a serious drama can have moments of comedy, there can be a variety to the tone of a horror movie, and the best ones do find a way to balance all this. The Conjuring 2 does that, with Wan's playful style injecting a sense of fun.

In fact, there's quite a few genuinely chuckle-worthy comedic beats that're well placed and break up the horror, as well as some sillier that almost invite the audience to laugh at the film.