Insidious was one of the few horror movies that lived up to the hype. It seems like any “horror” flick can make a trailer that looks exciting and terrifying. However, a select few can duplicate the rush you feel when you see the preview for the first time. It’s even rarer when a horror flick can come up as an original idea that hasn’t been duplicated dozens of times. I’ve probably seen 50 new horror movies that have since 2000. I felt bored by many of those movies, a feeling of been there/done that, not remotely scared, and sometimes even cheated.
The few horror movies since 2000 that stand out in my mind as scaring me to the bone horror have been The Ring (2002), The Descent (2006), Quarantine (2008), and Paranormal Activity (2009). Each of these offered a twist that I hadn’t seen before while continuing to freak me out. I loved the movies because of that. In many genres, movies only get better. This will be the case, for the most part, with action movies, fantasy, and science fiction movies due to the enhancements in technology. You would think this would be the case with horror movies, too, but only The Ring has measured up to the classics like The Shining, Psycho, Deliverance, and the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Insidious isn’t as good as any of the movies mentioned above. But it is in that next tier. It was suspenseful. It offered an element of fear. It was a story that I hadn’t seen before. And for that alone, I felt thankful.
Directed by James Wan (Insidious stars Patrick Wilson (Little Children, Lakeview Terrace) as Josh, a high school teacher and father of three. With wife Renai (Rose Byrne – 28 Weeks Later, Bridesmaids), he moves his young family into a larger house in the suburbs. Renai begins to believe that some paranormal activity is happening in their home. One night, their oldest son goes to bed after hitting his head on the floor just hours earlier but falls into a coma the following day. The doctors cannot explain what happened to him and admit that they have never seen this in a patient. Nothing has changed three months later, but Dalton is now at home living on life support with the help of an aide, but primarily by his parents.
As time passes, the house’s events get creepier and creepier, with Renai admitting that she sees figures running around the house and hearing voices. While Josh isn’t seeing or hearing any of these things, he does not believe his wife is crazy. However, rather than helping her, he drifts away from her, spending longer hours at school rather than dealing with the home issues. When Renai feels like she can no longer handle the situation alone, she turns to some alternative excavation means. This is where some of the real creepiness comes in. A family friend named Elise (Lin Shaye) comes to the house to help oust these demons of the afterlife.
The ending isn’t overly impressive. Wan wanted this movie to distinguish itself from other formulaic horror movies. He may have felt the need to add some twist. The ending wasn’t bad, but it felt like this should have been an ending for a different movie. The end didn’t ruin the film, and I doubt I could have come up with a finish I would have liked more. Still, it wasn’t great. This movie is more like The Sixth Sense scary than your typical horror flick. If you let the movie suck you in, you’ll leave a bit freaked.
Plot 7.5/10
Character Development 7/10
Character Chemistry 7/10
Acting 7.5/10
Screenplay 7.5/10
Directing 7.5/10
Cinematography 7.5/10
Sound 10/10
Hook and Reel 9.5/10
Universal Relevance 6/10 (as relevant as most other horror movies, I guess)
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