Decidedly underwhelming, surprisingly popular spook schlock opus

Rating: 4/10 (2 May 2011)

As of writing Insidious is the most profitable film so far of 2011 and basks in the praise of genre fans. Rarely have I been so dissatisfied by a film so feted, and I'm a pretty easy guy to please. Not to mention I dig haunted house films anyway and have a lot of time for the era of schlock that Insidious taps into (that would be the blessed 80's). But somehow, from start to finish Insidious fell flat for me at almost every stage. A family find themselves the target of mysterious and menacing spooks after one son winds up in a coma after a ladder accident. From here the film moves into overdrive, serving up boo scares with loud and obvious scoring by the numbing, repetitive barrel full with a saddening minimum of actual creeps (baby monitor put to good use). The restless dead seem to have a lot of fun popping up, or out or in and props to them if they are indeed having fun as it must be pretty lame not passing on, but the constant activity combined with lack of serious threat or greater purpose (I didn't exactly expect a probing gaze into the traumatised mentality of parents post tragedy but the film is remarkably thin stuff) makes for a hollow experience lacking menace. Plus pretty much only one is designed with any flair and it gets underused. The living of the film are slightly more effective, though still flawed Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne offer sturdy performances as the leads, they never summon much in the way of drama but are never less than watchable. Barbara Hershey is fine value as a helpful mother though, and Lin Shaye makes for an endearing psychic. Things eventually build to a modestly entertaining climax in which the film finally achieves some sense of the unusual and a bit of style (though the direction is pretty dodgy) and a rather cool capper that deserved a better build up. Altogether though the film came across to me as nothing more than a haunted house fairground attraction with less verve or humour (an effect aided considerably by the occasional shrieks of my fellow cinema goers, shrieks I rather hope were intended humorously) at around an hour and a half or so an overstretched and tedious experience. I seem to be one of the few dissenters on this one so perhaps my thoughts ought to be taken with a grain of salt, but in no way do I recommend this one unless you have a stack of viewing aids and some buddies on hand to make a laugh of the watching. 4/10 from me.