STORY: Seven years after the Amityville horror case, a single mother named Peggy in North London is terrorized similarly. She and four children live in a haunted house and a whey-faced nun wants their blood. Can demonologists Ed and Lorraine save them?

REVIEW: Fear quadruples at the mere thought that the events in the film has happened to real people. And that formula of the franchise works all over again. The generic – possessed-exorcism-redeemed concoction found a clever twist in the first film. Just like its predecessor, The Conjuring 2 is also about a demonic invasion that disrupts the life of an English family when Ed and Lorraine Warren are prompted by the Church to go to their rescue.

Sometimes the biggest scares are hidden in the most mundane scenes and harmless objects. The house in which the film is set looks like regular one minus the classic-horror forlorn look. This familiarity connects well and palpable touch helps heightening fear when things start going awry.

You need patience to sit through the build-up as the story takes a while to gain momentum. Director James Wan has little to offer in terms of surprises as the shocks mirror the ones from the prequel. But his smarts rescue a film that could’ve labelled predictable. He builds the milieu ably – where even a toy make you suspicious and phone calls make you jump in your seat. He offers a few inspired scenes that will blow your mind. The camera work is impeccable and his passion to create something fearsome is overwhelming. The one scene where Ed and the demon have a charged-up conversation is blood-curling.

Some sharp editing could’ve helped the drama from getting loopy, but that’s hardly a downer. Ed and Lorraine played beautifully by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga and the superlative Madison Wolfe, are show stealers.

You don’t particularly buy the human drama at the center of this film but Wan doesn’t let you ponder over the flaws. He keeps the mood tense, the jumps frequent and the ambience unnerving. Even with its glitches, The Conjuring 2 gets one thing right; it scares the hell out of you.