INSIDIOUS

If you can't believe what you can see with your eyes. And you can't believe what you can hear with your ears either. What can you believe in then? Politics? Religion? Society? Justice? Nah! But what about an army of laser guided monkeys, all wearing tight-fitting metallic mankinis? Maybe. And this is something that is not seen in this film Directed by Todd Phillips; and Starring: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, and Barbara Hershey. It was made in 2010, and lasted for 103-minutes.


Insidious


THE STORY:
Now you would have thought that young suburbanites, Josh and Renai Lambert (Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne), would have a nice life living in the suburbs. They have a new home, three exuberant children, and an income to support their every need.

But no. I am afraid to say that this does not really pan out too well for them all in all.  

Well, for a start, their eldest son, Dalton (Ty Simpkins), falls into a coma, the day after he hits his head in the attic. Plus three months later, strange things start to happen to them in their house as well.

Granted, to begin with, this is nothing more than a mild bump here, and a loud scream there. Still, over time, all this type of strange goings on really does freak out Josh and Renai - to the extent that they then decide to move home once more.

However, do you think things get any better for them at this subsequent new house? No - me neither. In fact, the sudden appearance of phantoms gliding through the windows, and vivid visions of death and duality through doors, forces them to call in an old friend of Josh's Mum Lorraine's (Barbara Hershey), for some help.

OK, so motherly, Elise (Lin Shaye), and her odious aides, Tucker and Specs (Angus Sampson and Leigh Whannell), may appear like an unconventional trio at first glace. Nevertheless, they do quickly cotton on to what is at the root of this paranormal problem.

Regrettably, though, do you honestly believe that Josh and Rene will accept that their comatose son, Dalton, is actually being possessed by external forces? Moreover, that this 'condition' was inherited by Josh himself?

Err - I suppose they do not have much choice in the matter, do they? And that is why what next transpires is a right tale of ambiguity and astral-tomfoolery all in all. As devils attack - a family fights back - investigators take all of the flack - and never trust a man who dresses in black.

Maybe the end.

THE REVIEW:

First off, please let me just say that I do not really like to be too harsh on any of the movies I review, because I know how much time and effort it takes to make one of these things. You need actors, a script, a place to film it all in, all of that technical mumbo-jumbo, plus some artistic savvy that can meld all of these elements into something worthwhile seeing.

Therefore, it is with a very heavy heart when I now say that 'Insidious' is just cr*p.

OK, I have to admit, that there were a couple of bits in this movie that I did like. For example: (1) The ending-ending was very nice and ambiguous. (2) I did enjoy watching the 'alternate Ghostbusters' in this film, played by Lin Shaye, Angus Sampson, and Leigh Whannell. And (3) I did not mind some of the artistic 'in-video' effects also, plus the basic conceit behind this flick.

However, as for the rest of it on the other hand, where do I begin? (1) This film starts off too slow. For the first fifteen minutes or so nothing at all happens - and you are presented with the mundane life of a family at home. But then, when something does start to occur, the drabness set's in - and you are left with looking at the clock until the film ends. (2) In my opinion, for you to actually care about what is happening to the main protagonists in a horror film, you have to like the main protagonists in a horror film. For me, personally speaking, I did not find any associative little ticks to make me give a rat's ass if any of them stayed alive or not. Granted, in places, I did feel sorry for Rose Byrne's character - and to a certain degree Patrick Wilson's character as well. But by in large I was rooting for the devil to win all the way through. (4) Regretfully I found the pacing to 'Insidious' to be all over the place. It starts off very slow. It then jolts a notch or two with a fractured tone to it. And after that, it's start / stop - start / stop - start / stop - all the way to the finishing line. (5) There were a couple of dark atmospheric little touches in this movie that did not really work in it is execution. Fair enough, I can gather that 'the darkness' was meant to raise a level of suspense in certain scenes. But I am afraid to say that it came across as nothing more than irritation and a non-cohesion of ideal's. And (6) I felt that I seen this film before with 'Amityville 2 - The Possession' [click here for review] and its successor 'Amityville 3 - The Demon' [click here for review]. And trust me when I say that this is not really a good thing to say.

Damn! I feel really bad now for saying all of that. Well, in conception, I am nigh on positive that this film could have been a really good film. I have seen most of the actors do better than this in the past - and the writer, Leigh Whannell, didn't do a bad job scripting the 'Saw' film series.

Still, I suppose you can't win them all, can you?

'Insidious'? Ha! A movie title and a review all in one.

THE RATING: C-