By KAREN JAEN
From the creators of Saw and Paranormal Activity comes a film that sparks fear in people of all ages.
Insidious (PG-13) tells the story of a young family with three children. After moving into a new house, the oldest child, Dalton, decides to explore the attic where he falls and gets a minor scratch. The morning after, his father, Josh (Patrick Wilson, Watchmen) goes to wake the sleeping boy for school and finds he is unresponsive. The doctors discover that Dalton is in a coma, but for an unknown cause because he suffered no brain damage from the fall.
After spending three months in the hospital with no progress, Dalton is sent home where a nurse will help take care of him. After his arrival, the mother, Renai (Rose Byrne, Get Him to the Greek) begins experiencing strange phenomenons throughout the house that become progressively frightening.
Although the movie could have of spent more time on its’ special effects, the movie kept to the basic standard of fear in classic horror movies. The plot was also fresh and original, keeping the viewer constantly guessing what is coming next but in the end something other than the expected happens.
Wilson and Byrne give convincing performances throughout the film. The characters express honest feelings of terror and suspense while the events continue to unfold and worsen.Although the film focuses on the Dalton’s story, he is not a main character and only makes one grand appearance in the film.
Although the music was the typical screeching and goose bump raising sound, it was amazingly combined with the horrifying characters who made several appearances throughout the movie. Another successful aspect of the movie was that one was never left wondering what exactly horrified the characters. The Director, James Wan, gave the viewer a good view of the fear.
This movie is definitely recommended for the horror fanatic that is tired of seeing predictable movies. Although there might have been influence from other movies, Insidious approaches these concepts with a new attitude giving true fear in the audience.