Insidious (2011)

Insidious is a return to a very old-fashioned form of entertainment: the haunted house movie. It is the proper kind of haunted house movie that uses creaking floorboards, startling bangs, and general eeriness for its scares, rather than an abundance of blood, guts, and gore; which, quite frankly, are not scary. The movie is actually so old-school in its way of functioning that it is hard to believe that it came from director James Wan, creator of Saw, a franchise that has practically ruined the genre for the past decade. Insidious was apparently made with a very small budget and it occasionally shows; in the somewhat sloppy climax, for example. That does, however, make a good impression as far as how devoted the film-makers were to the project. A lot of care went into this little scary movie, even during the brief period during which it was shot, and it's always a joy to see a movie made by people who loved making it. The love for the material really shows through in the end.

The story is, unfortunately, rather uninspired. A family moves into a big, creaky house. The son falls off a ladder and becomes comatose. The mother hears weird noises on the baby monitor and keeps seeing wicked faces in the dark. The father thinks it's all a bunch of hooey and puts his foot down when the medium shows up. As the film progresses and the terror builds, things get a bit more ridiculous. Laughing children and grinning young ladies pop up in an alarming fashion. The gas-mask seance is more than a little bizarre and doesn't have much explanation. When "Tiptoe through the Tulips" starts playing during a demonic attack, that's when it seems like somebody must be joking. But it's all done so seriously that it really is more frightening than it probably should be. In fact, the entire movie is extremely terrifying because of the relentless and overwhelming manner in which the scares are thrown at the viewer. Claustrophobic isn't even the right word; it's more like torture for the nerves. Those who frequent this type of film and know when everything is going to happen, like me, will still almost certainly jump at probably numerous points during Insidious. It may not have the greatest story ever filmed, but it still has plenty of unpredictability.

Insidious is a fantastic horror movie, sort of like those haunted house attractions at amusement parks. It is effective in the moment, even if it seems more ridiculous in retrospect. A movie like this has to get mood and timing just right or everything becomes swiftly comic. Insidious is more than able to handle itself in those departments, but it's too bad it is lacking in originality and a certain level of subtlety that would have made the effect more lasting. Those who think being scared is a good old time at the movies will find this one a real hoot. For people with a nervous nature or heart conditions or are shorter than five feet, you may want to skip this particular thrill ride.

7/10