If you like supernatural horror - Insidious is top class

Rating: 8/10 (28 April 2013)

I'm writing this at 11.33 pm on Sunday night after watching Insidious. I'm telling myself I'm writing the review now because I want to get it done before I forget the details of the movie. The reality is I'm doing it now because I don't want to walk downstairs in the dark. Or brush my teeth in front of a mirror where something could suddenly appear behind me. I have Insidious to thank for turning me into a wussy scaredy cat.
Supernatural horror movies, especially those that involve some kind of demon, are one of my favourite genres. I've watched all the ones I know about, which is a fair few. The Exorcist remains at the top. Sinister is a fantastic recent example. And Insidious is another example of the genre done right.
The thing that makes Insidious most effective is that it's very well put together - good acting, great (and creepy as hell) cinematography, believable script, eerie music and jump out of your seat sound effects. In some horror movies where one of these parts is off, it can let the whole movie down. In Insidious all parts are done very effectively. The end result is a film that will have you on edge the whole way through.
Unlike some horror movies - the worst recent example being Mama - the characters in Insidious are not stupid. When Renai (Rose Byrne - very effective in her role) realises her house is haunted, she wants to leave - immediately. Josh, the father, also believes. Seeing a room destroyed by the powers of the ghost is enough to convince him the house is haunted. These nods to rationality make the movie believable, which is always going to be a challenge when dealing with this genre. My rule of thumb is that if by half way through the characters are acting how I would act - I'm as scared as they are.
The story itself is a nice take on the genre especially the last 20 minutes. I sometimes get really frustrated with these movies because the characters are never given a way to fight back. In Insidious this isn't quite the case, which is a nice change.
Finally - the twist at the end is terrifying. It is exactly what I didn't want (and yet kind of did), but deep down was expecting.
I really enjoyed Insidious and can't wait for the sequel...just give me a few months to recover from this one...