Mind Screw Horror.

Rating: 6/10 (5 November 2015)

Insidious (2010): Dir: James Wan / Cast: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye, Barbara Hershey, Ty Simpkins: Genuinely scary haunted house movie that regards those traumas that never leave. A family moves into a big house only to discover that their son has fallen into a coma type state. Doctors analyze without result so he is brought home under life support. Patrick Wilson plays a father and school teacher. Rose Byrne plays his wife, stay at home mother who works on returning to a career in music and song writing. She soon hears strange whispers in the baby monitor. Then strange images of ghostly figures appear. At her urge, they move, but problems still persist. A spiritualist is brought in and she informs them that their son isn't in a coma but rather his soul has travelled and is at the mercy of demons. Director James Wan previously brought us Saw, so he knows how to present a scary atmosphere. Here again he gives an ominous house of creaky noises and frightening visuals. Wilson and Byrne hold strong. We learn that Wilson passed down this trauma to his son but hasn't any memory of his younger incidents. It is unfortunate that this film takes the cheap route where the demons are seen as triumphant. Lin Shaye plays a psychic type figure who seems too much of a joke in her methods, that will ultimately be fatal. Barbara Hershey as Wilson's mother is limited yet plays a crucial role that moves things forward. This is a kid who braves the nightmare while awaiting parents to brave the same nightmare. While not the best of its kind, it will creep up on genre fans who will expect the obvious. Score: 6 ½ / 10