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Is it worth $10? Yes
As a rule I don’t see many horror movies, mostly because A) they don’t screen for press; B) they’re rated “R” and appear to be glorified torture porn (I’m looking at you, “Hostel”); and C) of all the genres out there, this is repeatedly the most uncreative and unoriginal – if you’ve seen one demonic stalker killer hunting innocent prey movie, in a sense you’ve seen them all.
So here’s the good news about “Insidious”: It screened for press, which means the studio wasn’t worried about bad buzz/advance reviews; it’s rated PG-13, so there’s barely any swearing let alone excess violence and gore; and it takes the “haunted house” storyline in an interesting direction that’s different enough from “Paranormal Activity” to not feel like a cheap rip off.
Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai (Rose Byrne) are the happily married parents of youngsters Dalton (Ty Simpkins), Foster (Andrew Astor) and newborn Caley. They’ve just moved into their dream home, and director James Wan (“Saw”) nicely builds a sense of eerie doom by starting with small things – books falling off shelves, sheet music ominously missing, etc. But when Renai starts hearing weird sounds on the baby monitor, and seeing people walking outside her window and a boy from the 1920s running around the house, they do the smart thing: They move.
Too bad this doesn’t help either. With Dalton in a coma, paranormal researchers Specs (Leigh Whannell, also the film’s writer) and Tucker (Angus Sampson), along with psychic Elise (Lin Shaye), determine what’s really wrong with Dalton and why the house is haunted. What happens next gets a bit supernatural hokey, but never to the point where it undermines the suspense.
This is minimalist filmmaking at is best by Wan, as the few scares we get are created through editing much more than the visual effects. What’s more, the costume designs of the demons are genuinely frightening and creepy, which provides an unsettling feeling that nicely adds to the tension.
The film is not without it’s flaws, but they’re not deal breakers: The beginning is too slow, the very end is contrived and the title is awful (it should’ve been called “The Further” – you’ll understand why after you see it). Thankfully Whannell and Sampson add welcome comic relief and the rest of the supporting cast, including Barbara Hershey as Josh’s mother, is as solid as they come.
You know what I liked the most about “Insidious”? It’s genuinely spooky, and in a way that’s creepy without resorting to violence. It’s hard to say that about most so-called horror movies these days.
Did you know?
The film was made for an estimated $1 million, which is very inexpensive.
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super cool movie. i love it its really scary though......
nuk24
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... Insidious is definitely worth watching in theaters. You will get the full effect of how good the movie is. Do not wait until blue ray or dvd. -Shawn Chapman |
ach
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... You've officially whet my appetite to see this movie. I love a good ghost story, and they are few and far between. |
Dan S.
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... It was fantastic. Truly the best horror movie I have seen since Saw One and Dead Silence....coincidentally by the same director to. Fantastic. |
David Z.
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... I attended the screening in Tampa, FL with 10 of my friends.. We have a great time, we jumped, screamed, and laughed out selves silly! I rather go see a movie like this one than one filled with blood and decapitations... Great movie!! |
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