Insidious

15, 2011, Directed by James Wan
Starring: Rose Byrne, Patrick Wilson, Barbara Hershey, Ty Simpkins

From the director of mammoth horror franchise Saw and producer of on-its-way mammoth horror franchise Paranormal Activity, you would be forgiven for watching Insidious from behind your hands with a large amount of trepidation. The plot follows stereotypical hokum horror pokum, merging slamming doors with things that go bump in the night, but throws the haunted house idea to the side by focusing on… a haunted son. When Dalton slips into a comatose state, it becomes clear that some angry spirits are hanging around in the dead of night. For the first 45 minutes, Insidious provides not only mandatory jolts, but genuine scares; spooky set-pieces with blink-and-you’ll-miss-it imagery that will have viewers reaching for the rewind and pause buttons. Additionally, at times the scares are so well-constructed you have an overwhelming sense you could be watching the horror film of the decade. It’s a crying shame then that what the film descends into is something that the original Saw and Paranormal Activity both scored miles above. Predictable, if contrived plot twists harmed by clichéd performances from the unfortunate cast (who do all they can - especially Barbara Hershey in Black Swan mode for her second spooky supporting role of the year). Some fear-inducing creations aside, it is the unseen potential of the project, not to mention the gimmicky contrived climax, that heightens the disappointment. However, rest assured – you will never look at Darth Maul in the same way again.

2/5