INSIDIOUS is a difficult film to rate. The first half is not at all scary. A little boy falls into a mysterious coma, and some relatively minor paranormal events surround him, so his parents consult paranormal investigators. So far, about as scary as an episode of GHOST HUNTERS. Interesting, and the story is easy to follow, but while the situation would be alarming in real life, it won't frighten a seasoned horror movie fan. When the seance occurs, about halfway through, it suddenly gets scary --- and then a revelation by the boy's grandmother ratchets up the creepiness factor. It's not the house that's haunted...and, no, it's not the boy who's possessed. But he may soon be, unless his father risks his life to save his son. The plot is more derivative of POLTERGEIST than THE EXORCIST, but the explanation for the boy's coma is unusual, and the film gets bonus points for NOT shooting everything in complete darkness. Finally, supernatural scenes where you can actually SEE what's happening! Towards the end, I was really getting into the story --- and almost forgetting its slow start --- when, abruptly, the movie ended! I understand the concept of leaving an opening for a sequel, but this was a gaping hole. If you don't mind an ending that wraps up nothing, and have faith that INSIDIOUS 2 will be released very soon, then INSIDIOUS is worth a look.Read full review
What we have is a story of a normal family suddenly thrust into a disturbing situation in which their son, Dalton (Ty Simpkins), falls into a mysterious coma the doctors have know way of explaining. ********* W A R N I N G ******** This review contains spoilers (explanations that could spoil it for you, so if you are thinking about seeing this film, please don't get mad at me for spilling the details). Little do they know that there is much more to this endless sleep than meets the eye as they, seeking outside assistance, explore the spiritual and paranormal implications, of Astral Projection, and out of body experience few films have delved in to. I'm seriously wondering whether to recommend this film to ghost/horror film buffs or not! One good thing about this film is that it took you way out there in the weeds as as far as a new form of weirdness. In most reviews, though most would point out that the first part of the film should have just been erased and trashed in lieu of the fact that that's about when it started to pick up. Unfortunately, that's about the time where someone falls asleep in or out of the theater. There are a few campy/cheesy things in the onset of the film that just aren't too awfully scary for the average horror movie goer, however, James Wan succeeded to chill in the theater to give the creepy suspense going with the music in Dolby surround sound, but didn't work at home as much. Around the time that first lady showed up, the mother-in-law Lorraine (Barbara Hershey) that's when it got pretty stupid. Like, we are supposed to know that this person was the mother-in-law? NOT! That didn't make much sense, just as it didn't when the mother-in-law started saying, "I've seen visions and dreams". Now, if you drop that part & pick up with the kid in a coma with the parents freaked out about the so-called psychic/paranormal bug patrol led by Elise Ranier (Lin Shaye), then we got something. Apart from a few inconsistencies/goofs like the screen door on the house door vanishes/reappears, & Dalton moving his hand lying on floor in a coma, this film could possibly be ranked as up there with Tobe Hooper's 1982 film Poltergeist, which was produced by Steven Spielberg and starred Craig T. Nelson, Jo Beth Williams, & 6 year old Heather O'Rourke who played the child name Carol Anne who got somehow physically abducted by apparitions from another dimensional plane. Of course, there really couldn't be anything more spooky about the Poltergeist films since Carol Anne, who was played by Heather O'Rourke actually died during the filming of Poltergeist III in 1988, she suffered flu-like symptoms. The symptoms were a result of intestinal blockage, which ultimately claimed her life. The whiny screaming of Carol Anne's name, which is either spoken or screamed in Poltergeist III 121 times would truthfully unnerve anybody. In the case of Insidious, we soon find a few things that we can sink our teeth into, such as the creepy guy that constantly wants to play an old vinyl recording of Tiny Tim's "Tip-Toe through the tulips" & the fact that the father somehow has the same power of leaving his body while asleep. I forgot to mention the scariness of the infrared view-master machine along with seance that goes bananas. What's not really explained in this film is to why there are actually physical beings that are able to totally appear from this so-called "Further" area & cause audible issues as well as trashing up the place.Read full review
Good Horror Movie, but I still think Paranormal Activity 1 is better. The thing I liked about this movie is that the director, James Wan (Director for Saw) made a pretty darn good Horror film without using blood. I was really surprised about this because I totally expected blood in this fim, but surprisingly, there wasn't. So for movie viewers out there who wants to get scared, I totally recommend this film for both first time horror film viewers and long time horror film viewers. I put this movie at 3 and a Half stars out of 5 (can't do half stars on ebay, so i'll just put 4 stars for the hell of it)
This was another good horror film from director James Wan. Along the lines of the Conjuring, some of the same characters as well and a very engaging story. The demon in the film was just nightmarish. Would recommend for any horror fan for your movie collection.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
It's not the house that is haunted. It's your son."A family looks to prevent evil spirits from trapping their comatose child in a realm called The Further. REVIEWRose Byrne and Patrick Wilson move into a new house, following which their middle child Dalton falls into an unexplained coma. Then scary things start happening - noises, people seen out of the corner of the eye, bloody handprints on sheets. So they move. And the phenomena continue, So Wilson's mother calls in specialist help: two comedy paranormal investigators and a more serious psychic/mystic-type person. The story is essentially Poltergeist, told with a Paranormal Activity-type vibe, although there is no found footage pretence - this is a straightforward fictional supernatural story.It is maybe a little too leisurely in the set-up, but once it gets going and canters along quite nicely. There are the requisite number of "Made you jump" moments, and the story is quite good fun and well told. The small cast all do their jobs quite well, and the film delivers. Incidentally, is it unreasonable of me to infer a connection between the fact that the demon is very reminiscent of The Phantom Menace's Darth Sidious, and the film's title Insidious?Read full review
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