Insidious (2010) Movie Review
Written By: JASR
Edited By: Grave Reviews Staff
Film Information
Director: James Wan
Producers: Jason Blum, Oren Peli, Steven Schneider
Writer: Leigh Whannell
Date Released: April 1, 2011
Cast:
Patrick Wilson as Josh Lambert
Rose Byrne as Renai Lambert
Ty Simpkins as Dalton Lambert
Lin Shaye as Elise Rainier
Leigh Whannell as Specs
Angus Sampson as Tucker
Barbara Hershey as Lorraine Lambert
Andrew Astor as Foster Lambert
Rating = 4/5 Graves
***May contain some spoilers***
Synopsis
Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson) and Renai Lambert (Rose Byrne), together with their three children, move into a new home. One day, their son Dalton (Ty Simpkins) falls into a coma. Doctors are unable to tell what exactly happened to him – saying there is no brain trauma or infection. Still in a coma, Dalton is brought home months later. Paranormal events begin to occur, and the couple decides to move houses. With the help of Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye), the couple learns that it is not their house that is haunted – it’s Dalton. Elise explains that Dalton has the ability to do astral projection and has traveled too far. The lack of mental presence makes his physical body an empty vessel – something that entities want to inhabit. Elise and her team help Josh and Renai save their son before it’s too late.
Gore Factor
Insidious (2010) is not a gory movie, but there are definitely other factors that prompt the need for parental guidance. The unsettling image of the demon that appears more than once can give a good scare to all ages. More than the red-faced demon, there are other images that some viewers may find hard to forget. I would warn viewers about the unforgettable sight in the ending that I still think of to this day. Despite the lack of blood and gore, this movie undoubtedly elicits uneasiness for many other reasons.
The Grave Review
It’s no secret that James Wan is a brilliant horror movie director. With Patrick Wilson and Lin Shaye as part of the cast, Insidious (2010) is definitely a horror movie that is difficult to beat.
Patrick Wilson is no stranger to the big screen. With appearances in other horror movies, most notably The Conjuring (2013), Wilson has undeniably made a name for himself with his acting skills. He knows how to utilize emotions and lines in ways that can make the audience truly feel what he wanted to convey. I couldn’t think of any other actor who would be perfect for the role of Josh Lambert.
I also have nothing but good things to say about Lin Shaye. A brilliant actress portraying a brilliant character, Shaye proves that no other actor can do the role of Elise Rainier. Every word that Elise says triggers the right mix of fear and relief – making the audience know that she is here to help but nothing is ever certain. Elise’s words and actions reflect Shaye’s brilliance in her craft.
The plot of the movie is not new to horror movie fans. A family that moves into a new home – check. Entities wanting to inhabit a human body – check. What makes this movie different from the rest is how the images of the entities were portrayed. The scenes in “The Further” are incredibly similar to those in our nightmares. Do you remember how your most horrifying nightmares consist of shadows, darkness, creepy characters, and the inescapable feeling that all of it might be real? It’s like that, and maybe even worse, in Insidious.
Even just a short glance at the entities that Josh sees in “The Further” can already give anyone the chills. The creepy smile of each one is enough to make you fear going to the bathroom alone in the middle of the night. James Wan knew exactly how he wanted the scenes to go, and he was able to execute them perfectly. More than this, the movie has a pace that makes viewers feel nervous and scared just at the right moments.
It’s one thing to have creepy faces in a movie, and it’s another to play a truly disturbing song. Insidious plays “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” – a song that is arguably eerie and hair-raising. The song itself is already creepy in its own way. Hearing it in the scene where Renai looks in the window is truly unsettling. There’s just something about “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” – maybe the tune, the voice, or the general vibe – that makes it unnerving and essentially perfect for the movie. If I were to make assumptions, I would say that anyone who hears it in Insidious will dread hearing the song again for the rest of their life.
The ending is unsettling, to say the least. I have seen Insidious (2010) a handful of times, and the ending scene still doesn’t fail to give me the creeps. With remarkable direction, casting, story, and acting, Insidious is an excellent movie that will leave fearful viewers bothered for weeks, and horror movie fans satisfied for decades.
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