Rated
PG-13 (Thematic Material, Violence, Terror and Frightening Images, and Brief Strong
Language)
Running
Time: 1 Hour & 43 Minutes
Cast:
Patrick
Wilson-Josh Lambert
Rose
Byrne-Renai Lambert
Barbara
Hershey-Lorraine Lambert
Lin
Shaye-Elise Rainier
Leigh
Whannell-Specs
Angus
Sampson-Tucker
Ty
Simpkins-Dalton Lambert
Andrew
Astor-Foster Lambert
Directed
by James Wan
 |
| "It's not the house that is haunted. It's your son." |
When
director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell made their debut in 2004 with the film
"Saw," it was a breath of fresh air thanks to its unique premise and
introduced us to a new horror icon, Jigsaw, played by Tobin Bell. With a $103
million worldwide gross against a measly $1.2 million production budget, "Saw"
jumpstarted a new horror franchise with six sequels but unfortunately it devolved
into gratuitous blood and gore, losing what made the original so well-regarded
in the first place. Part of it might have been Wan exiting as director and only
staying on as executive producer with Whannell. Wan’s next films, "Dead
Silence" and "Death Sentence," both released in 2007, received
negative reviews and failed to repeat the box office success of "Saw."
Now, Wan and Whannell reteam for "Insidious," a film that returns to
the tried-and-true Haunted House theme with a few wrinkles thrown in. "Insidious"
is not entirely original but with its strong cast and tense atmosphere, Wan has
created a truly frightening experience that mixes the best elements of "Paranormal
Activity," "The Exorcist," and "Drag Me To Hell."
Josh
(Patrick Wilson) and Renai Lambert (Rose Byrne) are a happily married couple
with three children, one baby daughter and two sons named Dalton (Ty Simpkins)
and Foster (Andrew Astor). They have just recently moved into a new home but
their optimism is short-lived as one morning, Josh finds that he is unable to
wake up Dalton. The doctors say there is nothing neurologically wrong but for
some strange reason, he is trapped in a deep coma-like sleep. Three months
later and their son’s condition have not improved but strange occurrences begin
to take place at the house. They start off small, like objects moving and doors
being opened but they soon escalate, with a demonic voice heard on the baby
monitor and ghostly apparitions appearing out of nowhere. Renai becomes so
frightened that the family is forced to move to a new house but the paranormal
occurrences still continue. Josh’s mother Lorraine (Barbara Hershey) contacts
her friend, who happens to be a psychic and an exorcist named Elise (Lin Shaye).
After investigating the house, Elise reveals that it is not the house that is
haunted, but her son and that a demon seeks to possess his body.
Stylistically,
"Insidious" bears a resemblance to Sam Raimi’s 2009’s "Drag Me
To Hell" in that it uses sound effects to build a suspenseful atmosphere
rather than spilling buckets of blood. For the most part, the film relies on
tried-and-true Haunted House clichés during the first half and the inspiration
from "Paranormal Activity" (Oren Peli serves as producer) is clearly
felt as the strange occurrences start off small and escalate further. What sets
it apart is the ‘Boo!’ moments and you’ll certainly jump out of your seat,
exclaiming 'Holy Sh*t!' There's no traditional music build-up and it all happens
in the most innocuous scenes where it's just people conversing, you relax your
guard and bam, it hits you full force with a blaring, dissonant noise. This
keeps us on edge as we don't know what Wan might throw at us next. "Insidious"
also isn't afraid to get a little ridiculous and there's a nice humorous moment
when we're introduced to two ghost hunters named 'Specs' (Leigh Whannell) and
Tucker (Angus Sampson), who clumsily comb over the house using their fancy
doo-dads. Things get even more far-fetched once Elise arrives and explains what's
happening (it involves astral projection), culminating in a crazy séance like
Raimi's film. There's also a palpable sense of drama as Josh and Renai are
unable to grasp what's going on and feel terrified but more importantly,
helpless to save their son. "Insidious" utilizes many elements that
have been done to death in other horror films but Wan polishes them to maximum
effect and adds a few wrinkles to create a unique experience. What's even more
astonishing is that he made this film with less
than a million dollars! Once again it goes to show what you can do with
only a handful of money combined with a creative vision.
The
acting is above-average for a horror film and Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne are
entirely convincing as a married couple who finds their lives abruptly
disrupted, recalling Ellen Burstyn's role in "The Exorcist." Barbara
Hershey (last seen in "Black Swan") is Josh's mother, who knows more
than she's letting on and despite the role being way out there, Lin Shaye
manages to play Elise with an entirely straight face. The rest of the cast
includes Leigh Whannell (who serves as writer) and Angus Sampson as amateur
Ghostbusters who inject some levity into what is a bleak and hopeless
situation.
Premiering
at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 14, 2010 and released
on April 1, 2011, "Insidious" has received somewhat mixed reviews
with 59% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics found the third act shaky but it still remains
as 'a very scary and very fun haunted house thrill ride.' It is competing with
two other films, Duncan Jones' sophomore effort "Source Code" and the
live-animation flick "Hop." While it may not set the box office on
fire, the film should come in at third or fourth place with approximately $10
to $15 million and seeing as it's made on the cheap, that's already a
resounding success. There was a respectable turn-out at the theater but like
all horror films, it was plagued by teens who just couldn't keep their f*cking
mouths shut. Not a single drop of blood was spilled but Wan has taken a
less-is-more approach with "Insidious" and while his ideas aren't all
that original, he utilizes all the right elements and manages to surprise us
once again!
Final
Rating: 4 out of 5
"It's
not the house that is haunted. It's your son."
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