The first film positioned itself as a demented and successful fun ride, and this follow-up is even stronger, for the most part less showy but very compelling and unsettling. Viewers are put off-kilter from the start, watching a Christmas-set film released in June, but that is a minor issue compared with the extraordinary events that follow. With the Warrens' involvement in the Amityville case as a starting point, here used in an interesting way, the also-renowned Enfield Haunting is given the full-on Hollywood treatment - this is certainly no documentary - to create an interesting and extremely engaging viewing experience. Sound placement is hugely effective, the TARDIS-proportioned interior of the house gives plenty of scope for use of camera, and James Wan is a real master of framing and the sequencing of shots to wring out the maximum effect on the audience. As Ed and Lorraine Warren, Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are again excellent as a very unshowy but sincere screen couple, but at the heart of the film is an absolutely standout performance by young Madison Wolfe as the girl at the centre of the demonic activity. In spite of the fictional gloss, the film raises questions about the Warrens and the real Enfield case that makes the viewer want to find out more, but as a piece of very well-made entertainment, The Conjuring 2 is a winner.
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