Movie Review: ‘INSIDIOUS’

One of the classic elements of the horror genre is the ability to make the audience jump. You would think scaring someone can be easy. Granted, some filmmakers think so by having a cat jump out at you. Yet, we can all agree, that is more of a “jump scare” and is kind of cheating. A genuine scare is harder to produce from a viewer and is something that will stay with them long after the credits have rolled. With the fact that horror films are released on a regular basis in theaters, on DVD, and on TV, it is near impossible to scare the current horror fans. Because of this, I have to applaud James Wan for doing such with his new film Insidious. Be warned, the film will scare you like no other has done in recent memory.

As the film opens, we are introduced to Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai (Rose Byrne) and their three kids.  The happy family is in the midst of unpacking their belongings in their new home when weird things begin to happen.  This is soon followed by a traumatic event: One of their boys, Dalton, falls off a ladder forcing him into a three month coma.  Brace yourself, this is when the scares begin.  While Josh is off “grading papers” at work, Renai is left to take care of the bed-ridden Dalton.  As the spooky stuff escalates, Renai is left to think the house is haunted. After much pleading with Josh, the now troubled family decides to move to another house.  Unfortunately, this house seems to bear the same scares that the previous house produced.  The two then decide to contact a friend of Josh’s mother (the perfect and understated Barbara Hershey).  This friend, played by Lin Shaye, happens to be a psychic/medium complete with two nerdy (but comical) sidekicks.  From there we learn, as we have from the poster and trailers, young Dalton is haunted … not the house(s).

You could make a list of every film that Insidious reminds you of.  Every haunted house or possession film in the book could be construed as inspirations for this film.  Thankfully, knowing all of these “references” doesn’t take away from the power of the film.  Insidious is scary!  It isn’t a non-stop thrill ride, yet there are certainly scenes that will stick with you for awhile.  There are a number of reasons why the scare scenes work in this film.  One is the appearance.  Never once do you get some willowy, smoky mist of a ghost.  Every “ghost/demon” has a definite look that is never hidden away from the viewer (we even see them during the daylight).  This adds a realness and threat to the consistent sightings.  The other aspect that worked well, is that Wan and writer Leigh Whannel never have any cringe-worthy scenes where the ghosts blatantly talk.  Often, I feel, the mystery and scariness of a ghost/demon is taken away by the inclusion of unnecessary dialogue.

From a technical stand point, the look and sound will divide people.  The use of the notorious “Red Camera” gives the film a slick and clean look.  The filmmakers do their best with correcting this by often dressing the actors and their environments in more muddy greys, blues, and browns.  Color in the film is almost non-existent except for a stark almost medical bright white.  This look never bothered me, but some will miss the richness and depth of “real film” compared to this more digital look.  The sound is loud and abrasive.  Many times, the music is used to great effect and helps set the tone for the creepy images.  I understand though if people feel that it is too much.  What I enjoyed the most was the use of more minor sound effects.  Throughout the film, Wan includes more subtle repetitive sounds that almost mimic the beating of the audiences’ heart during tense scenes.  The spinning of an over-head fan, the ticking of a metronome, and the beeping of a house alarm are just a few of these sound devices that help put viewers on the edge of their seat.

Unfortunatley not all is perfect with Insidious.  The most apparent flaw is the flat and one-dimensional characters.  All of the actors do an outstanding job with what little they are given.  I simply found myself not caring for many of them as much as I feel I should have.   A minor flaw is the actual dialogue.  Subtle is not a word you would use to describe the script.  Every character’s dialogue seems to be a little overdone (almost reaching melo-drama) at times.  In particular, Whannel gives our pschic/medium a monologue towards the last third of the film that screams out over-explanation.  This leads me to my final complaint: The last third of the film.  Insidious has an outstanding set-up that doesn’t quite work as well towards the end.  The film veers in a new direction, which didn’t bother me, except for the final “journey” that one of the characters has to go on.  For risk of ruining it for people, I am not going to get into it.  Except I will say that I feel it almost lifts the veil to the otherwise mysterious happenings.

Insidious is not a pitch perfect horror film.  There are some structural issues, but it moves along at a great and exciting pace.  Most importantly, it is scary!  When was the last time you can say you jumped or that you were scared in a theater.  If you are even remotely interested in seeing it, I recommend going to a big-screen with a great sound system.  This will only heighten your experience. The ending is easily predictable and the parts of the film might be better than the whole, but this shouldn’t take away from the fun you will have in the theater with this film. Forget what  you may think about “PG-13” horror movies, and go out and see the first really good horror movie of the year.