A bog standard horror with its fair share of fun jump scares

Rating: 5/10 (19 April 2020)

Insidious, follows the story of a family who have recently moved into a new home. Their eldest son falls into a coma and with that a number of paranormal occurrences follow.
The film is certainly fun. Its use of a number of different scary demons will definitely cause you to feel uneasy.
Rose Byrne's role as the mother is very well executed and appears to be a natural one. Byrne's caring nature will have audiences sympathising at her situation as the family's life is thrown into turmoil.
Patrick Wilson, who by observation appears to be in every other recent horror film made stars as the father in the film. Wilson's performance is unconvincing at best. You get a sense he is uncomfortable in the role which takes away from the film.
There is a lot to be desired with the plot. The unoriginal approach to a haunted house and a possessed child story is one replicated far too often. The story is all over the place. It feels as if the writers have sacrificed continuity for jump scares which comes across as lazy.
The idea of sleep paralysis in the film is something that personally sparked an interest. An interesting subject with little understanding the horror of sleep paralysis is very real. I'll give credit to the writers for that decision.
Side characters, a lovable psychic and her comical geeky assistants do offer up a few unnecessary laughs. These characters do add to what is an non-debatable mediocre film.
Insidious although poor in execution is what it is. A silly horror film that will appeal to mainstream audiences has been understandably popular. I'd certainly say it's worth the watch especially with a group as it will definitely provide a night of entertainment.
Although not a classic of the genre, Insidious will certainly cement its place as a horror that will always be brought up in discussion.