There is a trend that seems to be developing in the horror film genre and I am all for it. With the recent success of the Paranormal Activity series it seems that we are getting away from the "torture porn" and massive gore that horror seems to have become exclusively and we are back to making some good old-fashioned SCARY movies. Haunted houses and things that go bump in the night are making a comeback and I hope it continues. The latest film that matches this description is Insidious from Director James Wan, who ironically was the director of the first Saw film, the series that launched the "torture porn" horror wave that I criticize. Actually I really enjoyed the first Saw film but that series went downhill pretty quick. But in that first film I could see the tension that would help Wan direct a film like Insidious. Here there is very little blood, no nudity, and only mild profanity. For that reason, the film received a PG-13 rating and that is also a trend that I hope continues. Let's get back to making "scary" movies, not "gore" movies.
Insidious opens with a family of five who has just moved into a house that would look just right parked next to the house from The Amityville Horror. Any normal person would take one look at it and go "Yeah, that's gotta be haunted" and move onto the next house. It's huge, beautiful and I'm sure was a heck of a bargain. Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne play Josh and Renai Lambert, the "lucky" couple who has bought the house. They have three children, 2 young boys and an infant girl. Renai stays home and tends to the house and the children while Josh brings home the bacon as a teacher, who all of a sudden is having to work long hours which leaves Renai alone with the children quite a bit. Things start off simple at first, a few books misplaced, a missing box, a strange sound from an attic. Then one night one of the boys gets up into the attic and falls off a ladder and bumps his head. At first he is okay, but the next morning when Josh tries to wake him up the kid will not stir. They take him to the hospital where we learn the child is in a coma....but there is no sign of trauma to the brain. The doctors have no idea how to explain the condition. After three months Josh and Renai take their boy home and a nurse comes to help them with the care. It's right about here when the scares really start to pick up as we move from little stuff to seeing "people" in the house.... or do we? I think it's best to stop explaining the plot at this point as I wouldn't want to spoil anything for you.
The first hour of this film has some of the best scare moments in recent horror memory. The tension is absolutely tense at times. What keeps the film from receiving an even higher score than I already gave it is the explanation of everything that must come in the final 30-45 minutes. We learn why things are happening and while it's not hard to follow, the payoff does not match the buildup. There's a paranormal team that comes to help out with the situation and this group is lead by the wonderful actress Lin Shaye who is perfect for this role. These scenes definitely gave me a Poltergeist vibe which I really enjoyed, but ultimately Shaye is there to provide an answer to what is happening and that's the only part where the film is lacking to me. But Shaye, and the other primary actors including Barbara Hershey who has a small part as Josh's mother, all give decent performances. Nothing to write home about but respectable for sure.
I give Insidious a very high recommendation. If you enjoy being scared, there is enough here to keep you busy for a bit. If you are someone who likes a lot of gore and a high body count, this movie won't be for you, it's just not that type of movie. I, for one, find that very refreshing.
No comments:
Post a Comment