Insidious (2011)

Studio: Film District/Sony Pictures
Theatrical Release: April 1, 2011
Director: James Wan
PG-13

Review by James Klein

When I heard a new film was coming out by the director and writer of Saw (not a big fan of the first Saw film. I actually enjoyed the sequels more) and from the film makers who brought us Paranormal Activity (not even sure what that means but both Paranormal Activity movies were awful) and with a terrible movie poster (is this a "killer kid" film, like the forgettable Orphan or Joshua?) I wasn't expecting much. Just the opening credits alone gave me chills! Almost instantly I was pulled into the movie and despite its many flaws, this is a scary film. Isn't that why you go see these movies? To be scared? Well, Insidious delivers.

Right from the get go, something strange is happening to this family of five. Doors open on their own, something eerie is in the attic, we get the feeling that something just isn't right in this house. When little Dalton goes to bed one night and slips into a mysterious coma, the family starts to break. And that is when the ghosts begin to appear. Are they holding Dalton in this coma? Is Dalton doing these strange things to his family? Or do these ghosts want something more?

Screenwriter Leigh Whannell borrows too heavily on some past ghost/supernatural films such as the Paranormal Activity films, The Shining, and most notably Poltergeist. When the family calls in a group of ghost hunters, lead by an older woman named Elise accompanied by her two young sidekicks, the film starts to unravel and focuses more on plot than on scares. The first half is truly a white knuckle roller coaster ride but once the plot kicks in and we start to figure things out (and see the ghosts too much) the movie starts to drag and I started to notice some bad dialogue, too many homage's to other films, and the overlong running time. This is not to say the film falls flat though. I did enjoy Insidious but if it could only have kept its steam all the way through then this could have been a modern classic.

I will admit, the PG-13 rating had me nervous. Sure films like Poltergeist and The Sixth Sense were PG and PG-13 but so was crap like Drag Me To Hell and The Haunting remake. Insidious is a perfect example on how to make a scary film without loading it with gore. It provides some jump scares which I find can be a cheap tactic but Insidious also provides some really unsettling and tense scenes that not only made me jump but also got under my skin. I don't think I can hear Tiny Tim's "Tip Toe Through the Tulips" ever again without looking over my shoulder to see what is behind me.

Director James Wan keeps the camera more steady this time then he did for Saw. He also doesn't have a lot of annoying editing tricks. He takes this film more serious (aside from the awful comic relief characters of two young ghost hunters)  which make the film scarier and more realistic. Much like The Exorcist, he forces the audience to believe in these ghosts just like The Exorcist made us believe a little girl was possessed by a demon. Even the music in this film is heavily influenced by The Exorcist with its booming violin sounds. And that is where I feel Insidious could have been great; he came up with a semi-decent story and scared the pants off us but when it slips into homage territory, that was when I started to slip out of the film.

Insidious isn't perfect but in the world where almost all horror films are constant remakes/reboots and loaded with atrocious CGI effects, Insidious is a nice welcome back to what horror films are meant to be; scary.