Insidious

Starring: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins, Lin Shaye

Director: James Wan

Rating:★★★½

Everyone has been talking about Insidious and saying how scary it is, and because of this it has done very well in the cinema, as word of mouth spread and more and more people wanted to see if this really was as terrifying as they had heard. Well I can assure you that it is. It really, really is.

The film is about a family who move to a new, very creepy house, and within weeks their son is in a coma and very strange things start to happen. There are whispers over the baby monitor. Things move around by themselves. Doors are smashed open. And there is a man at the window, or at least, what looks like a man...

The shocks begin quickly, and most of them rely on clever camera work and loud noises to make you jump out of your seat. Another clever device used is that the scary figures don’t just appear at night: even in the daylight horrifying things start happening, and this really builds up the tension because just when you think you are going to get a break from the nerve shredding terror, it bleeds into the next scene, and the next, building up and being released in an explosive séance (which actually is a bit of a let down) and then a very disturbing final act. Many reviewers have argued that the final part of the film falls flat, and although I see their point, as the actual explanation is slightly weak, I felt that it was strong enough to continue scaring the audience, and the ending will send shivers up your spine. 

They should be worried...

Overall, the film delivers what you hope it to. Although there is no gore or blood, it provides plenty of unsettling sequences and images that will linger in your mind long after the film is over. The tension is ratcheted up so highly that many people in the cinema were not only screaming and covering their faces, but were swearing and muttering under their breath just to release some of the pent up angst that they were feeling. The plot moves along quickly and makes some sort of sense: personally I feel that a more ‘religious’ explanation would have worked better but theirs works just fine for what it is. The acting is okay and so is the script, as it doesn’t fall into to many horror film clichés (e.g. the characters are not ridiculously stupid or annoying). I really feel strongly that the directing and sound effects/editing are brilliant: they work so well together that they create a concerto of horror and terror, and the score is really petrifying too. And something has to be said for the special effects- but without giving too much away, the ghosts are really scary, although some more than others, but I guess that’s down to personal preference of what scares you! Saying that, one part of the final act was really over the top, as it seemed that the writer just thought ‘hey- what are the things most people are scared of?’ and then put them all into one sequence which does feel rather silly and jarringly takes you out of the world created (goat feet?? Yes we get its satanic reference, but unfortunately it seemed more like a fawn... to me anyway). 

Insidious is a horror film that fans of the genre will love, and it will have you covering your eyes in fright and will make you sleep with the lights on. My only criticisms of the film are the explanation given for what is happening, the séance scene and the fact that you probably won’t ever want to watch the film a second time as it is not particularly what I would call ‘enjoyable’- it’s pure terror- and not many people will want to relive the experience of the creeping tension that builds up inside of you for the movie’s duration! 

I highly recommend watching it- in the cinema anyway, because on a smaller screen it might not be quite so bad (is that good or a bad thing?).