Insidious is a 2010 American supernatural horror film directed by James Wan, written by Leigh Whannell, and starring Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, and Barbara Hershey. It is the first installment in the Insidious franchise, and follows a family who discover that dark spirits have invaded their home after their son inexplicably falls into a coma.
The film was released in theaters on April 1, 2011, and grossed over $97 million worldwide. Critical reception was largely positive, with praise for Wan’s direction and the cast’s performances. The film was nominated for five Saturn Awards, including Best Horror Film and Best Director.
Wan and Whannell reprised their roles for a sequel, Insidious: Chapter 2, which was released on September 13, 2013. A third installment, Insidious: Chapter 3, was released on June 5, 2015, and a fourth, Insidious: The Last Key, was released on January 5, 2018.
I wasn’t sure what to expect going into Insidious. I had heard good things, but I wasn’t sure if it would be my type of movie. I’m glad to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Insidious is a well-crafted haunted house movie that is sure to send chills down your spine.
The story follows a family who moves into a new home, only to discover that it is haunted. Their son falls into a coma, and they soon realize that he is being visited by ghosts. They must find a way to save him before it’s too late.
OK hands up, who’s been watching Poltergeist? No seriously, even though the premise of Insidious is very similar to Poltergeist, the way the movie is executed is very different. Insidious is a serious horror, it’s designed to freak you out and it’ll tear the heart clean out of your beating chest. If you can get into it, there are moments where it’ll feel like this is actually happening. The main ‘bad guy’ (who looks a bit like Darth Maul), is wonderfully portrayed and he does make for a very foreboding image indeed. There are numerous entities in this flick and each one is unnerving in their own way.
The general acting quality is solid, Lin Shaye puts in her usual great performance as the psychic Elise. The married couple Josh and Renai are also well acted out. The frustration and desperation of their situation is fleshed out well and you genuinely can’t help but feel for them. Great stuff.
Insidious is a scary movie, we’ve covered that but it may be worth pointing out that it’s not a particularly gory one. There is virtually zero gore in this flick at all, so bare this in mind all you gore hounds. Special effects are relatively minimal but what’s there is done well.
To conclude I think Insidious is a great horror flick, one of the best supernatural movies I’ve seen in a while for a matter of fact. Certainly anyone wanting to catch a flick in the vein of Poltergeist could do much worse than going to see this. Thoroughly recommended.
The acting in the film is top-notch, with Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne giving particularly strong performances. The scares are well-done and will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Overall, Insidious is a great horror movie that is sure to please fans of the genre.
Synopsis
In Insidious, a family moves into a new house in an effort to save money. However, the house is haunted by a malevolent force that soon starts to terrorize the family. The father, Josh, is particularly affected by the hauntings, as he is plagued by nightmares and starts to see strange things happening in the house.
The family soon realizes that the only way to rid themselves of the hauntings is to call upon a team of paranormal investigators. The investigators soon discover that the hauntings are being caused by a malevolent entity that is trying to possess Josh. In a desperate attempt to save Josh, the investigators put him into a deep sleep in order to allow them to enter his subconscious and confront the entity.
After a harrowing battle, the investigators are successful in saving Josh and banishing the entity from the house. However, the family is left traumatized by the experience and decides to move away from the house.
Movie Details
Director: James Wan
Writer: Leigh Whannell
Actors: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Andrew Astor, Angus Sampson
Release Year: 2010