The Conjuring 2

James Wan returned to the Conjuring universe and delivered a sequel that many consider superior to the original. Set during the infamous Enfield poltergeist case of 1977, The Conjuring 2 expands the scope while deepening the emotional relationship between Ed and Lorraine Warren. The Crooked Man sequence and the painting scene are masterclasses in sustained dread — Wan holds his shots just long enough for your brain to register that something is catastrophically wrong before the scare hits. Madison Wolfe as Janet Hodgson gives one of the best child performances in horror history. The Nun's introduction here — emerging from a painting in Lorraine's vision — launched an entire spinoff franchise. Wan proves again that classical horror filmmaking, patience over spectacle, produces deeper terror than any amount of CGI.