'INSIDIOUS' is insistent horror fun!

Rating: 8/10 (1 April 2011)

'INSIDIOUS': Four Stars (Out of Five)
The team that brought us the original 'SAW' once again team up to bring us this creative low budget shocker. James Wan (a member of the unofficial 'Splat Pack'; a grouping of the best of modern horror filmmakers) directs and Leigh Whannell writes this supernatural thriller. The film stars Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins, Lin Shaye, Angus Sampson and Whannell (in a rare comedic turn) and was made for a mere $800,000! Which goes to show what you can really do with a limited budget given a lot of passion and creativity. The film is a good old fashioned creepy ghost thriller, sort of like a modern variation on 'POLTERGEIST' in many ways.
'INSIDIOUS' tells the tale of the Lambert family, who recently moved into a new house. Dalton Lambert (Simpkins) is one of two brothers who falls into a coma early on in the film, for unknown reasons. His mother Renai (Byrne) keeps seeing creepy images in the house and believes it's haunted. She also thinks the things she's seeing are after her son. Her husband Josh (Wilson) is disbelieving and hides from the family's problems by staying late at the school where he works. He eventually gives in and hires a supernatural expert (Shaye) who discovers something more terrifying than either had imagined.
The film, like I said, is just a good old fashioned spook fest. What Wan and Whannell pull off on such a low budget is amazing. There's no CGI here just classic horror gimmicks; clever camera motion, lighting and creepy music. They also do so with little to no blood or gore. This is their first PG-13 effort and it's just as creepy and effective as their other films. I enjoyed this much more than either of the 'PARANORMAL ACTIVITY' flicks. The acting is adequate, the screenplay well polished (including some pretty humorous moments) and the directing top notch. If you like this sort of film you definitely won't be disappointed.
Watch our review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffxjYiwLUko