Insidious (2010)

Directed by James Wan [Other horror films: Stygian (2000), Saw (2004), Dead Silence (2007), The Conjuring (2013), Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013), The Conjuring 2 (2016), Malignant (2021)]

Well, at least there were some super scary jump scares, so I guess the movie’s not all a waste, right?

As it is, this is a film I had little interest in for quite some time, which is partially why it took nine years after it was released for me to actually watch it, and the sad thing is, even with that in mind, I still found the movie rather disappointing.

It’s not as though Insidious is an overly horrible film, though – I can certainly see why mainstream audiences might be enthralled by it. As for fans of the horror genre, though, I guess that I failed to see what’s so impressive about it. Jump scare after jump scare with ‘scary’ music to make the jump scares scarier and OMG another jump scare help me I’m scared

Obviously, this movie hit the right spots for some people, and I’ll certainly say that elements are pretty solid (such as the subtler approach to horror in a few scenes), and the plot itself is decently interesting. Even the end, when Patrick Wilson’s character goes into The Further, I was fine with it. I sort of liked the almost A Nightmare on Elm Street vibe of the Red-faced demon’s chamber, what with him sharpening his claws to Tiny Tim’s dulcet tones.

I saw (and I suspect it’s the same for most) the twist behind Wilson’s character a mile away, and the ending just didn’t impress me whatsoever. It felt so damn Hollywood, and didn’t do anything to at all to help end the film on a more positive note.

The principle cast is all fine. Patrick Wilson (of classics such as Hard Candy and The Conjuring) did pretty solidly, and everyone else, including Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye (who I amazingly still recognized from the 1984 aforementioned classic, A Nightmare on Elm Street, along with the more recent 2003 Dead End), and Barbara Hershey, did well also, though none of the three blew me away. Leigh Whannell (of Saw fame) was nice to see, but the brand of humor he and his cohort Angus Sampson brought to the film didn’t do it for me.

All-in-all, I’m not really surprised that Insidious didn’t impress me. In the past, I’ve heard it compared positively with Paranormal Activity, which is a film I utterly hated. I get how Insidious could impress some people, and obviously if it’s your type of film, by all means, enjoy it. I will admit it had potential with the story. But that ending was Hollywood tripe (and in fact, it’s not altogether removed from what you’d see on Syfy), and while I appreciate portions of the film, this isn’t one I plan on watching again for at least twenty years.

5.5/10

This is one of the films discussed on Fight Evil’s podcast. If interested in hearing Chucky (@ChuckyFE) and I talk this one over, look no further.