Delirious. Mysterious. This is Insidious...

Rating: 6/10 (9 May 2011)

With the makers of the original Saw and Paranormal Activity behind this, I was very intrigued to see how they would deliver a new angle to the haunted house premise. The result? A deliciously neat, scary and tense (if not, a bit ridiculous) ride which should please most horror fans.
Insidious is creepy for all the right and wrong reasons. Yes, it's very tense in parts, and the supernatural forces that overpower the house are enough to make even the toughest of people jump out of their seats, but when old women start wearing gas masks to talk to spirits, and ghouls start looking something like Darth Maul, you'll start to find it very creepy indeed. It also features two idiotic and not-so-amusing policemen, who really don't fit in place for this horror film, and should belong in a scene from something like Ghostbusters, and the final part may seem a bit far-fetched and OTT. However, even though it may drag on in parts, Insidious is better than your average standard haunted house tale.
The film does very well on the shock factor, and never have I been in a packed cinema where most of the audience scream out loud and fix themselves solidly to the screen for the 98 minute run. James Wan certainly knows how to satisfy his audience, and Insidous will certainly play on your imagination, even if it may be for all the wrong reasons.
So if you're a fan of the genre and like films such as Poltergeist, Paranormal Activity and The Amityville Horror, this'll be perfect for you as it's simply great haunted-house-horror. And it wouldn't be right if the makers of Saw didn't include a final twist at the end. Well, watch this until the very last scene and you'll be in for a subtle treat. I'm sure a sequel will be soon to follow. 6/10