I originally wrote this review in August of 2013 for ThEpic Review.
Insidious was a movie I had wanted to see, but somehow it just passed me by. When I was intrigued by the trailer for the upcoming Insidious: Chapter 2,
Brad told me that I had to absolutely watch the original. I'd heard
great reviews of the movie from a number of folks with quite a few
people telling me they thought it was one of the scariest movies they
had ever seen. After seeing (and loving) director James Wan's The Conjuring,
I knew I had to track this film down. I guess I am a fan of James
Wan's directorial horror efforts, as I enjoyed the original Saw, the somewhat silly but fun Dead Silence, and of course The Conjuring. So,
what did I think of Insidious? I'll get into a slightly more
spoilerish review after the break, but I will say that I enjoyed the
movie. I didn't, however, find it nearly as scary as so many people
have made it out to be (for my money, The Conjuring was a much
more frightening film). For most horror movies, unless there's some
relevant history, I think viewers are best going into the theater with
as little information as possible. Since you've probably heard a bit
about Insidious by now, as the movie came out in 2011, I will say
that I felt the movie was more of a blend of horror and dark fantasy
rather than just a straight up horror film. It also reminds me quite a
bit of Poltergeist, which always earns a film a few points. It's
got good performances, especially by Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne, and
manages to pull a few surprises. If you're looking for a good haunted
house movie that's more psychological rather than visceral, it's worth
looking into. More detailed thoughts (and some spoilers) after the
break......
So it turns out Insidious does do a few things that help it
to stand out from the pack. First, it's not a standard haunted house
movie, possession, or poltergeist film. It deals with astral
projection. Josh and Renai Lambert (Wilson and Byrne) have just moved
into a new home with their two young sons and infant daughter. Very mild
and bizarre occurrences largely go unnoticed until their son, Dalton
(Ty Simpkins from Iron Man 3), goes up into the attic and
confronts some evil and unknown presence. He falls and bumps his head,
leading his worried parents to put him to bed. The next morning they
find him in a medically unexplainable coma. Soon, Renai begins seeing
and hearing strange things around the house. Things get so bad for the
Lamberts that they move to another house, only to learn that the strange
happenings are not "hauntings" but the presence of otherworldly
entities trying to gain entry into Dalton's body, who it turns out is a
gifted astral projectionist who has gotten lost in a shadowy realm
called "The Further".
I can't really say that I remember any horror movie using the
concept of astral projection in such a way, so it certainly felt fairly
unique. "2 points for Insidious," I shout, in my best Dumbledore
voice. Secondly, the movie completely eschews the "less is more" rule
for haunted house movies (granted, I did just say this wasn't a haunted
house movie) by actually showing us the entities haunting the family.
While this might have contributed to me feeling not as creeped out by
the movie as some of the designs are more fantastical rather than
horrific, it certainly does help the movie to stand out amongst other
similar films that never show anything. The designs of the "entities"
are quite interesting and well thought out. Subtle things such as having
an older man play an old woman or having a very small man play a boy
definitely give the entities an odd feel, as something in your mind
tells you that something isn't right about them, but you can't put your
finger on it. The main entity, while memorable, definitely kept
reminding me of a cross between Darth Maul and Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs.
Insidious did not blow my mind or linger there like The Conjuring
did, but it's certainly a well made and enjoyable film. It's solidly
directed, features a nice mix of atmospheric, visual, and "jump" scares,
offers an engaging story with a few humorous elements to break things
up, and includes characters and situations that most viewers will be
able to relate to and empathize with in some way. James Wan certainly
has a talent for horror films, and I'm definitely anticipating Insidious: Chapter 2
which opens September 13th, 2013. I actually think I'm glad there's a
sequel, as the way this movie ended didn't satisfy me. It's a shock
ending, which the majority of the time I hate, but since we're going to
get to see how things continue, I'll probably stick around for a bit,
but I'll be looking over my shoulder. Just in case.
Confirmed: Good and a 1/2
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