What a difference acting makes. At the outset of this sequel to 2013’s surprise horror hit about a Catholic couple who do scout work for the Church to determine where supernatural intervention is required, wife Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) has a vision of a demon who has it in for her husband Ed (Patrick Wilson). When she returns to waking life, she tells him, “That’s as close to hell as I ever want to come” — and she sells it. The rest of the cast here is almost as good, particularly Madison Wolfe as an English schoolgirl who starts channeling the grumpy old man who used to live in her house. It’s a good thing: director James Wan is as interested in drama here as he is in horror: the toll taken on the family, the tension between doubt and belief among the investigators, the methods and mores of supernatural detective work — so interested that he lets things run on longer than is ideal. As for the horror, by this point, Wan is an old hand at using the camera to reveal and conceal exactly what’s needed to build tension — so much so that the occasional jump scares and final unveiling feel more than a little disappointing. (2016) — Matthew Lickona
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