Worthy Start to An Influential Franchise

Rating: 8/10 (26 April 2015)

A worthy start to an influential franchise, the supreme mix of Wan and Whannell proves to blend enough ghouls and grime to result in a fun film. Byrne fits the "contemporary stone-faced worrier" of a mother horror archetype that seems so popular nowadays and she does rather well as the tired-eyed parent of a young boy in a coma, who seems to be attracting the tormented and often disfigured demons who inhabit a distant realm. Patrick Wilson balances her out well with the warmth of the father-figure and also gives a good performance as a genuinely concerned and worried parent. The use of colour borrows heavily from the work of Argento and thats a good thing, smearing our worst nightmares in candy-coloured paint, contrasting to the bleakness of the real world. The main demon antagonist is a little kooky though and depending on its audience will definitely inspire a few unintentional laughs.