Insidious

[Grinch11]

Insidious - 4 stars

In-sid-i-ous1.Proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with harmful effects 2.Treacherous; crafty

You might want to add a third definition to that title clarification that states that it’s also a movie that will shred your nerves to the very core with its pant Malteser producing things that go bump in the night.

Producer Oren Peli was the brainchild behind the last genuinely unsettling horror experience when he made 2009’s Paranormal Activity for about twenty pence, and he clearly knows how to get under the audiences skin because his influence is here for all to see with this brilliant haunted house horror that melds the best aspects of that CCTV chiller, throws in a little Poltergeist, and tops it off with a sprinkle of Guillermo Del Toro aesthetics. It is a horror in the grandest tradition of the genre, the complete antithesis of director Wan’s own Saw franchise, with its increasingly lamentable and tiresome torture porn.

Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai (Rose Byrne) are your typical all American family; three sprogs, well-paid jobs, good looks. This idyllic lifestyle has just been relocated to a new house, but before you can say “Amityville”, strange noises are heard in the attic, whispers over the baby monitor, and then their young son Josh falls into an inexplicable coma that doctors cannot diagnose. Without divulging what has actually happened, it’s safe to say that the family are going to have to go to hell and a little bit further in order to save Josh, and you’re going with them.
Insidious plays things old school, but its genius lays in the fact that it can still wring tension and relief in such a manner that you’ll ignore scare devices that you’ve seen countless times before.

With a Suspiria style soundtrack it lulls you into a false sense that what you’re about to watch could be kitsch, before unleashing devastating glimpses of faces behind mesh curtains, corridor dwelling maidens, and dancing children, the thought of which sends shivers down a rarely troubled spine.

The film does switch tone about two-thirds of the way through, which may alienate some viewers, but what does remain consistent is a wonderful sense of humour, particularly when the “Ghostbusters” are called and arrive in the shape of a couple of bickering geeks. The final third, without giving anything away, spills over into the fantastical, yet still remains entertaining with its ideas and execution, mainly thanks to the presence of a genuinely freakish bogeyman and a family you’re rooting for.
Importance of characters to care about is paramount to any horror, so its thanks in no small part to Byrne and Wilson that we are given a couple who deal with their son’s crisis in contrasting and realistic fashions, allowing us as an audience a barometer on which to deal with our own “oh you wouldn’t do that” hang-ups.

Whether or not you think it follows through on the fantastic set-up will be a matter of personal taste, but by the time you come around to making your mind up you’ll be emotionally drained and more concerned about how you’re going to remove your nails from the chair arm.

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Here's a link to Total Film's 3 star review of Insidious. Added by Liz. Thanks.

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[Jeffbiscuits]

Brilliant, Grinch. I really enjoyed Insidious and though not possessing much originality, it certainly proves that modern horror can still terrify and entertain. The first comparisons I drew were with Poltergeist. It does the family thing well with Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson really proving their ability ( I disliked him in Watchmen). The demon is an effectively sinister beastie and the bumps in the night are ridiculously tense.
One issue I have are the inevitable comparisons to Paranormal Activity. That film was pants. Insidious isn't. While watching, I was kind of reminded of the BBCs mockumentary, Ghostwatch from 20 odd years ago (the one where Parky gets possessed at the end).
I think James Wan and Leigh Whannel are gradually getting closer to creating a truly great horror film. Dead Silence, as rubbish as it was was occasionally bloody scary and was admittedly really atmospheric. Insidious outshines that movie vastly in all aspects. I'll be watching to see what the Saw guys do next. 4/5.

[Grinch11]

Was that the Ghostwatch thing with the Poltergeist named "Pipes"? I remember that scared the hell out of me.

Yeah, Insidious is quite derivative in places and it's success depends on whether you go with it when they enter "the further", but I was scared, and surely that's what matters.

Surprised that you didnt like Paranormal as it uses all of the same tricks.

[Jeffbiscuits]

Yep, that was the one. Everyone at school the next day believed it was real.
I didn't find Paranormal Activity scary. And the couple really annoyed me. I couldn't sympathise with their situation because they were idiots and I felt that they deserved a demon. Same as the idiots in Cloverfield deserved a monster attack and the idiots in Blair Witch deserved to stand and face the corner. When actors act like they're not actors in that found-footage type of film, they often come across as arrogant, stupid and unrelatable. I think that lessens the shock of anything that happens to them and it's why Insidious was more enjoyable for me. Because I cared what happened to the family.

[danmc]

I liked it too. It was good fun and had plenty of terrifying scares. Nothing terribly original but a solid little horror nevertheless.

[buffster]

was it just me that didn't find it scary in the slightest then ?? the first half wasn't too bad but nothing original. and the 2nd half i found more funny than scary those ghost were so fake & waxy looking they were just funny . even the main black & red demon / ghost wasn't scary.

liked the final twist at the end though.

2 stars

[pulpygirl]

I found "Insidious" ok... Just ok. The first half was really good, but then things got a little bit funny! I felt like i was watching a joke or something. The really funny was the reason why all these things are happening. I mean, they could find something better to say than this... And the demons and all these stuff well i think they lost it there. But anyway it was a good movie. Except the second half that is...

[gordonmclean]

I'm genuinely surprised to see positive reviews in this thread - I thought everyone would be slating it! I thought it was garbage, at least. Two decent scares (figure behind the cot and the "He's behind you" moment with Mr Fire Face or whatever he was called) lost in an ever-increasing noisy mess of sound and motion that decides to replace the tension-building moments of the first half with throwing as many monsters and special effects at the screen as possible. Then the Big Bad Mr Fire Face is completely forgotten about! By the end it became nothing more than a weak retread of Poltergeist.

[napoleon]

I must admit that I rather enjoyed this film and it made a welcome change from the numerous "slasher" films which have saturated the celluloid horror genre.

Did anyone else think the Demon looked like Darth Maul from THE PHANTOM MENACE, though, which reduced its horror factor somewhat?

Still, there were enough shocks in INSIDIOUS to make viewing the film worthwhile and the old Hag was just plain creepy!