“We all live in houses,” notes director James Wan (Saw) on ‘Horror 101’, a none-too-insightful ‘seminar’ on haunted house/possession/astral projection flick Insidious.
But it’s this relatability that accounts for the monster numbers racked up by a film that starts spooky and ends silly as Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne and sprogs are menaced by a Darth Maul lookalike.
Easy to see why producer Oren Peli (Paranormal Activity) chimed with early scenes involving swinging doors and sudden noises; but Wan’s penchant for creepy dolls and stylised tableaux (see Dead Silence) ill-advisedly hijack the third act.
