Insidious (2011)

FilmDistrict

The advertising for the film featured commercials simply stating, “Insidious Is…” I had no idea what that was supposed to mean; “Insidious Is…” another “creepy kid” movie, “Insidious Is…” a “haunted house” movie, or “Insidious Is…” just a weak ad campaign created to take my hard-earned money. It is in fact, all of those things, except by the end of the movie I was glad I spent my money to see it. What Insidious is, was a great spin on several old favorites. It blends The Exorcist and The Twilight Zone with Wes Craven’s New Nightmare without ever feeling like a weak rip-off.

The acting in the film seemed above average for a horror movie. I don’t go into a horror movie expecting blow-away performances because the genre usually doesn’t call for that. Rose Byrne plays a convincing scared mother while something just didn’t seem quite right with Patrick Wilson; which pays off in the second half of the movie. I was glad this wasn’t just another “creepy kid movie” since that genre of horror is very hit or miss; if you don’t cast the right kid then it completely blows the film, whether it’s a good story or not. Fortunately Insidious was not that, as it featured the kids for maybe a tenth of the movie.

I appreciate horror films with great atmosphere and not just blood and guts, which is getting harder to find these days.  Coming from the makers of SAW, it was difficult to tell which direction Insidious would take- gory horror or genuine terror. They went for the latter, as the movie mixed terrifying visuals with eerie music. I feel like they knocked it out of the park just like with the original SAW movie.