One of the best

Rating: 9/10 (2 April 2011)

Insidious is the latest horror endeavor by the original Saw creator, James Wan, and Paranormal Activity producer Jason Blum that will literally terrify audiences. It revolves around Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson) and Renai Lambert (Rose Byrne as they move into a new home. Their oldest son, Dalton (Ty Simpson) is an adventurer who likes to explore. One night when venturing into the attic, he falls and hits his head. The next morning, he is in a coma. Unable to do anything, Josh and Renai bring him home to care for in the hope he will one day come out of it. Then, strange things start to happen. Strange noises occur. Faces appear. Things are moved. The alarm sounds. Strange happenings occur more frequently. After a while, they have had enough and move to a small house for lease. It does not help. Apparently, it was not the house that was haunted, but rather Dalton. More bizarre things happen - frightening things. At this point, they turn for help from Josh's Mom, (Barbara Hershey) and Elise (Lin Shaye). She explains the strange things that pervade: what is happening, why it is happening, and how to get Dalton back. This leads to a secret memory that Josh has buried (which was easy to figure out) and a terrifying venture into the spiritual world. Insidious, despite a few flaws is deft craft, using atmosphere, suspense, terror, and stunning visual imagery that will frighten the deepest part of your soul. This accomplishment is primarily done with Wan's wonderful direction that leaves an audience confused, guessing, and frightened. The performances by Wilson, Byrne, Shay, and Simpson are also good, giving the audience people to care about. The story is also engaging, slowly unfolding in a subtle way that keeps our interest. It is part Amityville Horror, part Poltergeist, part Exorcist, and a few other horror gems. The most stunning aspect is the imagery, especially when crossing over into the spirit world. It is not only frightening, but downright disturbing. Yes, it has a few flaws. The explanation offered by Elise seems too convenient and easy, as if writers assumed the audience HAD to know what was going on instead of leaving us in the dark to figure it out for ourselves. The "surprise" for the audience is also weak, and is something that can be seen a mile away. Making up for these flaws is a disturbing terrifying movie that relies on suspense and fear instead of buckets of blood and guts. In the end I was exhausted by fear, and it took almost an hour after movie's end for the terror to fade. This is one of the few times a horror movie has infused a fear into my soul. I would rank this as one of THE most terrifying movies I have ever seen.