Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai (Rose Byrne) have a happy family with their three young children. When tragedy strikes their young son, Josh, Renai begins to experience things that science cannot explain.
this is a brilliant creepy horror film full of heart thudding scare moments, with a surprising twist at the end of the film, the effects are really good and and the acting is well done, the whole story is well written and scripted and would recommend this for any horror buff
You have Aussie writing and directing team James Wan and Leigh Whannell to blame for the 21st century incarnation of the "torture porn" genre. They created the now hugely successful Saw franchise, continuing past the first one to write and produce at different stages. However, they have since put out some interesting horrors and thrillers, including the underrated Death Sentence and the creepy Dead Silence. Their latest effort is the bold Insidious, a film which for at least the first hour is genuinely frightening, but ultimately descends into ambitious yet silly theatrics.
A family (headed by Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson) move into a new home, hoping to start a new life. But before long they start to notice weird things going on and it becomes clear that evil spirits are at work, and unlucky for them they appear to be targeting one of their sons.
As I mentioned, for a solid hour Insidious is very scary indeed. It prays on the fears that most people have - that something is lurking somewhere in your house, in the shadows, in spare rooms and cupboards, waiting to "get you." Wan knows how to conjure a good scare, from expert uses of loud noises (or lack thereof) and haunting and bizarre imagery to eerie suggestions that something is there in the corner of the room even though we can't see it. One sequence involving a creature apparently on the ceiling above the troubled son's bed, in which we only hear the description of it rather than seeing it for ourselves, is deeply unsettling. For the most part the film is set in a huge house, old and creaky in a way that only a movie house can be, which references the haunted house movies of the past, such as The Amityville Horror, An American Haunting and House on Haunted Hill. And yet Insidious is entirely its own entity, carving out a unique identity for itself among the very populated horror genre.
It's just unfortunate, then, that after its great first hour that the film turns silly and ludicrous. Although the negative effect of this lessens upon rewatches, the last half hour doesn't carry on the momentum or the scares that the first hour had. That's not to say there aren't things to love about the last act - there is a great sense of originality and creativity on display - but it's unfortunate writer Leigh Whannell felt the need to go so wildly over-the-top, even though his boldness as a screenwriter must be commended. It's better to take a risk and fail than play it safe and boring.
So while the last third of the film may be a bit too ambitious and crazy for its own good, Insidious is still well worth a look for that first hour of terror. A great display of originality amidst a sea of mediocre horror, its creepy yet slick look only making it stand out even more. Wan and Whannell continue to prove themselves as interesting filmmakers with neat ideas.
To accompany the film on DVD is a solid but unexceptional selection of special features. Along with the usual theatrical trailer (which does a good job of giving you a feel for the film without giving that much away) we have three featurettes, "Horror 101: The Exclusive Seminar," "On Set With Insidious" and "Insidious Entities." 'Horror 101' looks at the history of horror films, with the filmmakers talking about how they influence what they've done with Insidious. 'On Set With Insidious' is your basic behind-the-scenes look at the film. And 'Insidious Entities' looks at the various different evil spirits which pop up throughout the film. The three featurettes are fun to watch after the film but they could have been a bit more lengthy and in-depth for any especially big fans of the film who want to delve a little deeper. A solid package overall though.
We will publish your review of Insidious on DVD within a few days as long as it meets our guidelines.
None of your personal details will be passed on to any other third party.
Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play. Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai (Rose Byrne) are a happily married couple with three young children who have moved into their idyllic new suburban home. When tragedy strikes their young son, Josh and Renai begin to experience things in the house that are beyond explanation. Before long, their lives are turned upside down by demonic forces, hell-bent on terrorising their very existence. Forced to seek help and protect their family, they learn the terrifying truth... It's not the house that's haunted but something far worse.
James Wan directs this supernatural suspense horror starring Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne. Josh (Wilson) and Renai (Byrne) move with their three children to a beautiful new family home. But their happy, carefree existence soon spirals into unmitigated terror when their son Dalton (Ty Simpkins) is knocked unconscious and falls into a coma, triggering a series of increasingly disturbing and gruesome occurrences.
This site uses cookies.
More details in our privacy policy
