'Insidious Chapter 2' slated for August 30, 2013 release

Darth Maul sneaks up on Patrick Wilson in James Wan's "Insidious."

Credit: FilmDistrict

"Saw" creator James Wan has successfully spawned a new franchise.

"Insidious Chapter 2," a sequel to the director's 2011 horror hit about a young boy who becomes a vessel for malicious spirits, has been slated for U.S. release on August 30, 2013. The follow-up will see Wan and screenwriter Leigh Whannell reuniting with original stars Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye and Ty Simpkins.

Produced by Jason Blum, Oren Peli and Steven Schneider, "Insidous" became a surprise box-office hit on its release last April, grossing over $97 million worldwide on a $1.5 million budget. The film's success came at just the right time for Wan, whose two previous post-"Saw" efforts - the 2007 horror film "Dead Silence" and the action-thriller "Death Sentence" starring Kevin Bacon - failed to catch fire with audiences.

“Blumhouse is committed to empowering filmmakers to tell their stories and we are excited to do that once again with the team from the first 'Insidious' including James and Leigh and the original cast,” said Blum in a statement. "We also look forward to working with our partners on the first film - FilmDistrict, Alliance and Sony."

"Insidious Chapter 2" will being production on January 15, 2013 in Los Angeles. Original distributor FilmDistrict will release the sequel in the U.S., while financier Alliance Films and Sony Pictures Worldwide are handling foreign territories.

Blumhouse has been racking up quite an impressive box-office record in the horror genre as of late, with the company's "Paranormal Activity" films grossing a combined $700 million-plus worldwide and their October screamer "Sinister" taking in over $47 million domestically on a $3 million budget.

Wan, interestingly, has yet another supernatural horror movie starring Patrick Wilson - this one titled "The Conjuring" - scheduled to hit theaters on July 19, 2013. That gives the director two late-summer horror releases next year.

Were you a fan of "Insidious"? Looking forward to the sequel? Let us know in the comments.

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Chris Eggertsen
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A former contributor to sites including Bloody-Disgusting and AfterElton, Eggertsen enjoys rock music, rainy days and smelling the pages of old books. You should read all of his articles and follow him on Twitter because it's the right thing to do.