It felt like I had an outer body experience!

Rating: 9/10 (8 May 2011)

*Minor spoilers* I was expecting to like "Insidious", I heard how scary it was and after seeing many "scary" films that actually failed to scare me. I was ready to be genuinely scared by "Insidious". And guess what? I loved every minute of it! Right from the really creepy opening I knew I was in for a pretty creepy experience. There are several sequences in this film that actually are genuinely scary and most of is down to James Wan's fantastic directing. Mr Wan knows how to make something creepy. He allows the audience to follow every bit of camera movement, making every shock count. There is something very unsettling about a camera sweeping through a hallway slowly. It's almost as if you are there and you know that something is going to come out to shock you.
The acting is also very good for a horror film. Barbara Hershey manages to impress again, like in "Black Swan" (only not quite as impressive as that) and there were some characters there that we could all care about.
My only complaint would be that the granny should've been the main demon villain. I don't feel that there was any need for the red faced bloke, he was no where near as terrifying as that granny! I think that it confused the story and he ended up being a bit naff.
But the final moments in "Insidious" are really tense, edge-of-your-seat stuff. It turns out to be frightening fun and an excellent experience in the cinema. I think the effect would unfortunately crisp on the small screen, so I do feel it's important to see this in the cinema.
What I really liked in "Insidious" was the fantastic music! It was a throwback to those 70's/80's ghosty films in the way "Drag Me To Hell" did with its music. It blew me away to hear it in the cinema, and I got a chill whenever something popped up with that dissident/atonal music. It is brilliant!
"Insidious" is an updated "Poultergeist". It's filled with genuinely scary, creepy and terrifying moments. There are some images in there that will scare the hell out of you! If you're willing to go on with the storyline and accept all the supernatural farce then you will find yourself in for a fantastic ride!