Insidious (2011) PG-13

What we have here is the scariest film since the first Paranormal Activity. Don't take that the wrong way, this film isn't nearly as well-crafted or creepy. The first half of this film is legitimately chilling and mildly frightening, but the second half is equally outlandish. At age 23 nothing scares me anymore, but this film did make me jump a few times and had me on the edge of my seat. You have to take these films for what they are, they're intended to frighten younger audiences as well as most women.

Director James Wan (Saw, Death Sentence) peaked with the first Saw film, but this film proves he can still direct an adequate horror film. He once again teamed up with writer Leigh Whannell (Saw, Saw II), which turned out to be a pretty good idea. Whannell also has a small role in this film, which garners some laughs. You have to give credit where credit is due, at least this film has some original ideas and isn't your typical possessed kid/haunted house film.

This film centers around the Lambert's, your average California family of five. Josh (Patrick Wilson) is a middle school teacher and Renai (Rose Byrne) is a stay-at-home mom. They have an extremely nice house considering only one of them works, and he's only a teacher. Hmmm.. They have three kids, the oldest is their pride and joy Dalton (Ty Simpkins). Dalton talks like he's four, despite probably being closer to ten years old. Hmmm..

The Lambert family moves into an enormous new house with a creepy attic and a surprisingly tiny kitchen. They aren't even settled in yet before odd things start to happen around the house. Renai dismisses the things she sees and hears, but it's only a matter of time before things begin to get rather bizarre inside the Lambert residence.

After a fall in the attic, young Dalton falls into a mysterious coma. Josh and Renai are very distraught for obvious reasons, but there isn't a whole lot for them to do at this point but wait. After close to three months in the hospital Dalton is sent back home where Renai will watch after him, day and night. Renai just will not lose hope, while Josh seems to have lost his sense of purpose.

Meanwhile, creepy things continue to happen in this forsaken house. Renai hears whispering on the baby monitor, and she finds a blood-stained hand print on Dalton's sheets. She also sees faces in windows, ghost-like figures in her room and so on and so forth. After an alarming close encounter with the force inside the house they decide to move, despite Josh's wish to stay. Despite all the evidence Josh continues to doubt. He often stays late at the school just so he doesn't have to deal with Renai. Yeah, that's a good idea, leave your wife and three kids inside a haunted house. What a man's man.

So, they move into a new, smaller house; problem solved. Well, the problem's not solved. Within days, these supernatural events begin to start up again. Renai finds a creepy little child inside the house, but Josh doesn't believe her. Something also tears apart Dalton's room and once again leaves bloody hand prints all over everything. So, against Josh's will, Renai contacts a paranormal specialist (Lin Shaye). She got her number from Josh's mother Lorraine (Barbara Hershey). Lorraine and Elise (the paranormal specialist) are old friends. It's obvious from this moment on that Josh has something buried in his past, which comes into play later in the film.

Elise brings her two paranormal assistants (Leigh Whannell, Angus Sampson) with her to try and rid this house of any demonic forces. Right off the bat Elise can sense something evil lurking in this house. At this point the film is going along great. There are plenty of creepy moments and effective scenes that don't give away too much. There's a fantastic scene where Lorraine talks about a dream she had. In this dream she sees a demonic figure in Dalton's room, she describes it's features and we get a glimpse at what she's talking about. When she's done describing the dream we vaguely see this demon crouching behind Josh. It isn't long after this scene where things go awry. Elise is forced to take drastic measures, and nobody is safe from this demonic energy.

I'll stop there, but I will tell you that astral projection plays a huge role in the final act of the film. Which is the main reason this film isn't more effective. The ending is up for interpretation, but I think I have a good grasp of what exactly happened. Once we get a good look at the demonic creature that is lurking in and around Dalton, it kind of ruins things. I can however say that this film does have plenty to admire, despite a less-than efficient final act.

Rose Byrne (28 Weeks Later, Sunshine) is, as always, very good and Patrick Wilson (Watchmen, Hard Candy) is competent as usual. Barbara Hershey (Black Swan, Riding the Bullet) has such a sinister way about her and it's always a treat when she's on screen. As far as horror films go, this is one of the better ones I've seen in the last five years. However, the standards are very low now-a-days. I realize that not everyone is going to feel this way about this film, but I find noises and shadows to be more effective than monsters and slashers. That's what made The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity so effective. I'd suggest giving this film a shot, knowing that the second half of the film is beyond preposterous.
B-

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