Review "Insidious"



On a dear friend's recommendation it was creepy, I bought "Insidious" without seeing it. I had confidence. After all, I loved "Dead Silence."

Within about 30 minutes of viewing, I'd seen things that gave me deja vu to "Amityville Horror," "Poltergeist" and "The Entity." That's not bad, but it didn't feel terribly original, although it was so steeped in atmosphere that I could be distracted by the fact that the family moving into a haunted house scenario had occurred way too many times in past movies. Instead, I found myself more distracted by the fact that James Wan is an amazing talent, but his movies seem to have the same kind of elements in them; the color red, clowns, creepy music, weird doll-like creatures, a father who is dick, and an ending that is rather campy.

That being said, this movie is soooo worth it for many reasons:

1. Atmosphere: It has a strange 70s feel to it almost, the houses were strangely echoing with darkened edges and creaking doors and lots of hiding places.
2. Characters/acting: Nicely done. Not very famous or well known actors except for Barbara Hershey. They're good and really know their character's emotional range.
3. Supernatural elements: These were handled well, enough glimpses to feel freaked out and make you want to sleep with the light on. They entered a dark and creepy world that was believable and quite novel.
4. Use of creepy sounds/music: Brilliant! You know "The Strangers" and "Jeepers Creepers" had a creepy song playing? Well, this one is a doosie.

Yes, I highly suggest the movie and even suggest the purchasing of it for your collection. There are certain movies of modern times that left me with a residue, gave me an atmosphere and kept me enthralled and this was one of them, along with "Dead Silence," "30 Days of Night" and "Unbreakable." I put this in that category of atmosphere, storytelling, human frailties, grit, and uneasy feelings.

Comments

  1. Been trying to rent this but it's unavailable everywhere I check. Wildly popular. Also, in regards to Dale and his kind.... http://www.boingboing.net/2011/07/19/delightfully-creepy.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+boingboing%2FiBag+%28Boing+Boing%29

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  2. I've got "Insidious" but haven't watched it yet. Now, I can't wait!

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  3. The only bit I liked was the girl singing at the piano. Everything else was samey. There are dozens of good ghost films available including "The Innocents", "The Haunting", and "The Others", but I really wouldn't add "Insidious" to the list. You had it pegged straight away, it's "Poltergeist" all over again but with gender changes.

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  4. oooooo... That movie game me nightmares...

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  5. *gave

    Apparently I cant spell. :P

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  6. Hmmmm....will have to check out.

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  7. Sounds good. Maybe we can watch it the next time I spend the night.

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  8. Maybe. I just find movies like that so predictable that they end up losing my attention.

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  9. It definitely lacks originality, but that can't be counted against it in that just about any theme that can be done, has been done already, but if you pick a movie based on mood, atmosphere, psychology and its haunting features, it is well worth it. Honestly, I think it's on the same level as his other movie, "Dead Silence" for just leaving you with a residue that nags at you. There almost surely won't be a better horror movie this year since the genre seems to be dwindling again.

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  10. I didn't particularly care for "Dead Silence, but I very much liked this one.

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  11. Yeah, Dead Silence had me for the doll factor. I think Wan gets that people despise dolls and they show up in a lot of his work. He even included mannequins in Dead Silence which I adored. I liked the other world feel of it, but as a storyteller, he's a bit hackneyed and campy and trite. I sometimes feel like he adores the creepy 1970s feel of horror movies but doesn't get how to sew them up at the end. I felt kind of Creepshow'd by the delivery.

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  12. Just saw it this weekend and it totally scared the $#% out of me. Dale would've been frightened too. I'm sure of it.

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