Insidious

Insidious is totally in my list of favourite horror movie. I will not say that this will be the greatest horror movie ever but the cinematography is great and makes the whole mundane plot seems interesting and manage to crap the hell out of me.

I hate it when some so-called horror movies use old cheap tricks like the creepy music or sound effects to compensate their poor performance. I watched many scary movies and Insidious is the one that really made it sound and seems so real that it allows audience relate to it. I was expecting to see some people died in horrible way where their guts and bloods are everywhere and floor splashed with red tomato juices. You'll never have to see that kind of scene in here, they keep it as close as possible for you to relate in your real life and in your room while you are struggling to sleep.

INSIDIOUS is yet another one of those Hollywood ghost stories involving a possessed child. It follows a predictable format, with minor, isolated incidents gradually giving way to larger-scale, more pronounced apparitions and events before culminating in a full-scale onslaught of evil. And it's all rather silly.

I enjoyed the first half of the movie. It's here where things are kept subtle and straightforward, with effectively creepy scare scenes and half-glimpsed figures spotted lurking in darkened rooms. So far, so good. But around the halfway mark, the film introduces a trio of paranormal investigators and things quickly descent into POLTERGEIST-style farce.

The problem with depictions of a hellish limbo or netherworld is that, in order to make something scary, you have to pretty much identify with the different fears of each viewer. Sorry, but I don't find tussles with greasy-looking hobos and Darth Maul from THE PHANTOM MENACE to be particularly frightening; in fact, there's something pantomime about the whole thing.

The actors, including the dependable Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson, do their best but at times in the latter stages they seem to struggle to keep a straight face while the ludicrous events increase in scale and speed. It's a shame that the whole thing goes to pot, because if it had been handled more sensitively (and with less sensationalism) by the team behind the SAW franchise then it could well have worked much better.

When I first saw a preview for this movie, I knew it looked like it had potential. It had been a while since I saw a decent scary movie so I was looking forward to it. I went into it expecting some scares but nothing too bad. Wrong. This movie scared me out of my wits. I don't think I have ever jumped more during any other scary movie. The audience was spooked too. I saw many other people jumping out of their seats and even heard a few actual screams.

What I loved about this movie was that it actually tries to scare you, not gross you out. The images are frightening for sure. Insidious doesn't waste any time trying to creep you out. The scares already start with the opening credits. I sure was not expecting this to be one of the scariest movies i've seen but it lives up to that. That being said, I don't think I'd have the guts to see it again!

I've seen some of this one awhile ago I don't remember much just figured I'd get caught up before the Insidious:Red Door comes out. I appreciate a lot of James Wan projects and Leigh Whannel is phenomenal! Patrick Wilson has also been great for last couple decades he works well with Rose Byrne. The flow and terror is much better than I could've imagined I'd agree with someone else better than Paranormal Activity. I'm surprised more don't appreciate James Wan he's great at his craft since Saw he's had some great movies and some that weren't as good I'd defiantly recommend this! The terror hit the spot especially with the tip toe song that's brilliant.

Haunted houses and questionable children have composed many a horror film, but there's a reason they work. When they do so despite years of being recycled, it's usually thanks to talent. "Saw" director James Wan found something of promise in "Saw" writer Leigh Whannell's story "Insidious" and the same must've gone for stars Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson. Horror films rarely get that infusion of talent, and as such, "Insidious" does not get lost in that dark dimension of forgettable horror.

Josh (Wilson) and Renai (Byrne) Lambert have moved into a new home with their two young boys and infant girl. Like always, paranormal oddities occur in small doses here and there until one morning they find their son Dalton in a coma. A few months pass and they move Dalton back home. The freaky incidences increase and eventually Renai sees the ghosts. She convinces Josh to move them into a new home, but it gets worse, so they bring in a paranormal expert (Lin Shaye) who provides them with some shocking revelations about the state of their son.

Like "Paranormal Activity" (a film thats producers have credits on this film unsurprisingly), the idea is to mount tension through paranormal phenomena and expert suspense. Wan provides a number of perfect angles and color to achieve the various moods. As much as you've been spooked this way by films before, you can't simply shirk the way the film creeps in — Wan won't have any of it. In fact, nothing here in terms of scare tactics will come as a revelation; many with a higher jumpiness tolerance will likely find it boring in many regards. No gore or horrific images to be found here — "Insidious" does it old school.

Once Shaye's character Elise and her two employees arrive on scene, the story mutates from paranormal suspense to other-worldly mystery. Elise explains what's going on — something that involves Dalton's soul being lost in a realm called The Further — and now they must rescue him. Whannell constructs an interesting mythology here and the story goes from horror to more of a mystery/thriller with demonic elements. In a sense he borrows from science fiction in establishing the rules of what's going on. It's mostly interesting, but in many instances flat-out weird to the point that horror purists might not like it.

The best way to describe "Insidious" is first half "Paranormal Activity" and second half something akin to Sam Raimi's "Drag Me To Hell," which equates to a nice balance between self-seriousness and horror fun. The "X" factor would be the performances. Byrne keeps Renai from becoming an obnoxious scaredy cat as her role's importance dwindles in the latter half of the film, in which time she still keeps Renai relevant. Wilson's character is no typical over- macho father figure or anything. Together they provide an unusual boost for horror, which typically strives for random faces with questionable experience.

In general, "Insidious" possesses a professionalism not often seen in the genre; most horror films go for cheap across the board from the budget to the talent to the thrills. Although "Insidious" lacks distinctiveness in terms of story, not an ounce of it can be perceived as immature or hollow. What a rare (but not unusual) treat.

~Steven C

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