James Wan has been an augur of horror trends for the last decade. Wan made his American debut with Saw in 2004, co-created with his regular collaborator Leigh Whannell, earning a surprise heap of money and kickstarting the so-called "torture porn" trend. In 2010 he signed on as one of the early Blumhouse adopters, launching the Insidious franchise (again with Whannell), and helping to establish the micro-budget production studio as a foremost name in horror filmmaking. In 2013, Wan directed his next surprise hit, the classically composed chiller The Conjuring, which racked up critical acclaim and beaucoup box office thanks to his flair for terror and a dose of old-school structure. Now, with The Conjuring 2, in theaters next week, Wan is looking to follow suit with another well-crafted horror pic, and as he explains in a new featurette, he wants to "bring respect back to studio horror films."

The sequel picks up with paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorrain Warren, played again by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, as they take on another terrifying case of domestic haunting and possession. This time, they travel across the pond for the famed Enfield poltergeist case, which saw a family of limited means — single mother Peggy Hodgson (Frances O’Connor) and her four young children besieged by paranormal tormenters. Writer-director James Wan and screenwriters Chad and Carey Hayes return, along with screenwriter David Leslie Johnson (Orphan).

The Conjuring 2 also stars David Thewlis, Franke Potente, and Madison Wolfe, and arrives in theaters nationwide June 9th. Watch the behind-the-scenes featurette below.

the-conjuring-2-image
Image via New Line Cinema

Here’s the official synopsis for The Conjuring 2:

The supernatural thriller brings to the screen another real case from the files of renowned demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren. Reprising their roles, Oscar nominee Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson star as Lorraine and Ed Warren, who, in one of their most terrifying paranormal investigations, travel to north London to help a single mother raising four children alone in a house plagued by malicious spirits.

For more from The Conjuring 2, take a look at some of our recent coverage below:

the-conjuring-2-patrick-wilson-vera-farmiga
Image via Warner Bros.
the-conjuring-2-image
Image via Warner Bros.

the-conjuring-2-poster