Insidious [1] (2010) [Blu-ray]
Horror | Thriller

Tagline: It's not the house that's haunted
Tagline: The further you travel, the darker it gets

From the makers of Paranormal Activity, Insidious is the terrifying story of a family who, shortly after moving, discovers that dark spirits have possessed their home and that their son has inexplicably fallen into a coma. Trying to escape the haunting and save their son, they move again only to realize that it was not their house that was haunted.

Storyline: A gripping story of a family in search of help for their son, Dalton, who fell into a coma after a mysterious incident in the attic. Little do they know that there is much more to this endless sleep than meets the eye as they explore the paranormal, and rediscover the past; the key to getting their son back once and for all. Written by David Murray Arthur

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman on July 6, 2011 -- I'm scared of this house. --- Insidious is a beast of a Horror movie. All signs point to it being a clunker, but that, as they say, is why they make the movie. Insidious defies all odds, overcoming its rating and Paranormal Activity rip-off nuts-and-bolts basic plot outline by molding itself into a tip-top, ship-shape, flat-out awesome Horror movie. Is it perfect? No, but it comes pretty close. Is it one of the genre's finest offerings of the past, well, in quite a long time? Absolutely yes, it is. Will it be remembered as one of Horror's all-time greats? That might be stretching it, but narrow the field down to eliminate the slashers and splatter-fests and compare it with more like-minded movies, then yes, it's right up there with the best of the best. Insidious is one of those rare movies that manages to use stock elements to the greatest effect possible, from the strict adherence to jump scares courtesy of sharp musical cues all the way down to the obligatory twist at the end, but Director James Wan and Writer Leigh Whannell, both of whom previously collaborated on Saw, have toned down the gore and cranked up the suspense. Just as Saw redefined the "Torture Horror" subset, so too is Insidious primed to redefine the suspenseful and psychological Paranormal Chillers in a way that Paranormal Activity just couldn't quite accomplish.

Josh and Renai Lambert (Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne) are proud parents of two young sons and a newborn daughter. They're also new homeowners, and their new abode is a spacious but spooky dwelling that they're soon going to regret moving into. When one of their sons, Dalton (Ty Simpkins), has an accident in the home's dusty cobweb-infested attic, he comes away with only a few bumps and bruises and two relieved parents. Unfortunately, Dalton doesn't wake up the next morning. He's alive, but in a comatose state. Doctors are uncertain what could be causing his problem, and after three months in this hospital, it's back home to the comforts of his own bedroom, surviving through a series of tubes and machines that his mother has learned to attend. As the family tries to resume a normal routine with Dalton laid up in his bedroom and his future uncertain, mysterious happenings begin plaguing the home. Intruders slip in and out, alarms blare in the middle of the night, and a baby monitor picks up the spooky, ghostly whispers emanating from some unknown source. It's not long until the house has succumb to a full-out haunting. Try as they may and do all they can, the family can't escape the terror. It'll take much more than they ever bargained for to save their son, their home, and their sanity.

There are plenty of elements that contribute to Insidious's success. Atmosphere, direction, music, sound effects, script, writing, and lighting all factor into the end product and work in harmony to create one of the most bone-chilling, skin-crawling, incredibly absorbing Horror pictures in quite some time, and it works even in the "watered down" world of PG-13 Horror because the filmmakers have placed the greatest importance on those most critical-to-success factors listed above. Insidious may start a little slowly and routinely, but the second and third acts represent an almost visionary leap forward in the way the picture exudes so much energy, fear, and self-confidence as the ball really gets rolling. Indeed, as the picture's name suggests, things begin almost mundanely as the film generates a nice little pretext through the use of standby elements such as creaky floorboards, squealing door hinges, dark and dusty attics, and unidentifiable sounds coming over the baby monitor, all effectively setting a particular tone that moves audiences closer and closer to the edge of their seats until all hell breaks loose and the picture goes this way and that through plenty of downright frightening moments while still maintaining its honest and absorbing equilibrium. The slow buildup from general household annoyances to goose bump-worthy happenings all the way to flat-out oh-my-gosh skin-crawling terror is incredibly well done, the picture only gaining steam from its shadowy opening visuals and its blood-red credits all the way to the shocking final seconds that are sure to leave audiences wanting to see it all over again.

All of that leads back to the tandem of Director James Wan and Writer Leigh Whannell. What they've done in crafting every last square inch of Insidious can't be overlooked as the film's primary factors contributing to its overall success. Of course, it's easy to label the writing and direction in any good movie as key cogs, but that the duo has managed to do so much with all of those basic, daresay even overused elements is a true testament to their grasp of what makes a Horror movie a success. That said, they do rely on shock images and sharp musical jump cues to generate many of the scares, but for once they play in tandem with, rather than completely supersede, the plot. Insidious just fires on all cylinders, the film meshing genre standbys with the various semi-original elements in the script to perfection. Insidious works in every way that Paranormal Activity 2 didn't. Rather than a series of "odd occurrences" that never really go anywhere, Insidious delivers palpable-to-unbrearable tension in most every shot, with the human element playing a critical factor in reinforcing the seriousness of the plot, the scares inherent to it, and the few scattered laughs that really solidify the entire thing. The Wan/Whannell tandem even makes the thing as frighteningly intense as it can be without overstepping the bounds of taste and falling into some macabre sort of schlock, proving the value of a good story and a fine cast. Indeed, the cast of Insidious is leaps and bounds better than most found in the run-of-the-mill Horror picture, with secondary cast members Leigh Whannell, Angus Sampson, and Lin Shaye turning in some of the most well-balanced and memorable roles in recent Horror memory.

Insidious is an excellent Horror movie that shouldn't be so good. All signs point towards something far more unoriginal, mundane, and not at all frightening, but Director James Wan and Writer Leigh Whannell have defied expectations and crafted an involved, engaging, and daresay even fun little Chiller that plays around with genre cliché but escapes the deadly trap of failing to build story and characters to go alongside the here effective and bone-chilling jump scares. This is one solid movie from top to bottom, one of the absolute best in its sub-category considering the harmony through which every element effectively coexists. Sony's Blu-ray release of Insidious yields a terrific technical presentation but fails to feature the more substantial supplementary content the film deserves. Nevertheless, it comes strongly recommended.

User Comment: Chad Brinkman from United States, 31 March 2011 • I went into this movie confident that it would be a cheesy, campy romp with the same "tried and true tricks of the trade," like when the hero is investigating the creepy music coming from the basement and a cat jumps into frame, but I quickly discovered that this would not be case with Insidious. After watching the move and obsessing on it for about 12 hours now, I can honestly say it's one of the scariest movies I've ever seen. In fact, there were several points during the film where I screamed like a 13-year old girl at a Justin Beiber concert. Keep in mind I was consciously trying my hardest to keep my composure, mainly because I was sitting beside my new girlfriend of 2 months. She, incidentally, didn't make a peep; thankfully, I later found out she had her eyes closed the whole time.

I was also expecting to see some blood and guts, especially coming from the guys who made Saw, but there wasn't a drop. Instead, they used just about everything else in their arsenal to scare the bejesus out of me and everyone else in the theater (my girlfriend included). From literally the opening credits, they created an intense, haunting tension that didn't leave my body till several whiskeys and half a Xanax later. And the movie constantly feeds that tension, making even the characters' mundane family life somehow seem utterly terrifying. I was actually exhausted leaving the theater from all of the uncomfortable squirming I was unable to control. I'd say it's the most calories I've ever burned while watching a movie (well, at least a PG-13 movie).

Overall, the movie was great. It was crazy scary, thoroughly entertaining, and even surprisingly funny at times. Having said that, it will be quite some time before I watch another horror movie; I have no desire to be turned into a frazzled bundle of nerves again anytime soon. So, if you plan on seeing this movie, please consider this a cautionary reminder: it's probably best to go with someone who's already witnessed you have a complete physical and mental breakdown, so as to avoid an embarrassing drive home. And maybe bring a Xanax as well.

Summary: Scariest Movie I've Seen In Years!!!

[CSW] -4.3- The great buildup to this psychological horror-thriller will not let you down by having a straight line plot; instead it had just the right amount of twist and turns to lead you right up to the unexpected ending. I hope I haven't said too much as I wouldn't want to take the edge off of this one. So if you're a thinking person that doesn't mind a good horror-thriller that is without blood then sit back and try to second guess this movie. Even though this is a once-is-enough movie -- the first time through is definitely worth it.
[V4.5-A4.5] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box motion codes were available at the time of this rental although they are available now.

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