Rose Byrne Shaken by the Spirit World in “Insidious: Chapter 2”

A rising star who commands the attention of filmgoers with her beauty, talent, versatility and poise, Australian actress Rose Byrne (“X-Men: First Class,” “28 Weeks Later,” “Troy”) reprises her role as Renai, in Sony Pictures Releasing’s horror thriller “Insidious: Chapter 2,” the eagerly anticipated sequel to 2011’s paranormal shocker “Insidious.”

At the start of “Chapter 2,” Byrne’s character is still shaken by the events that transpired in the first film and is spiralling into depression.

“It’s literally a day later and she’s on the verge of a nervous breakdown,” Byrne explains. “She’s thrown into action and, because of the events around her, that takes all her energy—she’s just trying to keep it together.”

In the first film, Byrne notes, Renai and husband Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson) are united in their fight against the demons that are haunting their family. But that’s not the case in “Insidious: Chapter 2.”

“Josh is the one who is possessed in this film, but in the first few scenes it’s sort of played down,” the actress says. “He’s kind of acting strange and dismissing Renai’s neuroses and her nervous breakdown, and then he slowly starts to unravel during the second half of the film. This time I’m really by myself.”

Byrne says she was initially attracted to the project by the complexity of the story and the characters. “I saw it as a family drama that turns into a thriller and, for me as an actor that is definitely the way you can empathize with the situation and make a reality of it. It’s definitely more sophisticated than just a simple horror film.”

Byrne also knew how skilled director James Wan is at delivering onscreen scares. “The first time I saw `Insidious,’ I was just terrified,” she recalls. “I couldn’t even watch it at night; I had to watch it in the middle of the day, and even though I knew what was going to happen, I was still terrified.”

The first “Insidious” centered on the troubles of the Lamberts, a suburban family who leave their haunted house for a new home, only to learn it’s not their house that is haunted—it’s their eldest son. “Insidious: Chapter 2” rejoins the family as they try to put their recent troubles behind them, but discover that the spirits that have tormented them are far from finished.

Opening across the Philippines on Sept. 18, “Insidious: Chapter 2” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Visit www.columbiapictures.com.ph to see the latest trailers, get free downloads and play free movie games.