Enjoyable terror, but not perfect

Rating: 6/10 (27 May 2013)

I don't get all this "hate or love"- impressions I see people getting from this. As a horror movie, it did its job scaring me, but don't be scared by the people who tell you this is the scariest movie they've ever seen (although those are individual opinions). I bought this one after seeing Sinister and Paranormal Activity and used those two as standards, so I was all set for a good old' mental breakdown. And the first half hour was SCARY. But after that... it's a very strange way to do a horror movie. The standard is often to build tension before unleashing hell at the end. Insidious doesn't. It's intense from the start on, already showing off a creepy old ghost-lady, eerie music and a semi jump-scare before the five minute mark. But beware that the first hour might leave you shaky enough to break down during the rest of the film, that (sadly) just goes bananas with ghosts, demons, loud noises and unsettling visual details. Know this: the rating is wrong. Do NOT turn this on for your 13 year old, people. Norwegian censorship gave it a PG18, but I would say the correct one would be around 15. If you are very easily frightened, stay away from Insidious. If you, like me, enjoy horror movies, you will be able to handle this one.