Insidious

It's been hours since my screening of Insidious got out, and I'm still at war with myself as to whether or not it earns a recommendation. On one hand, the movie gets a lot of things right - It's well made, has a strong cast, has some genuinely creepy moments, and got under my skin from time to time. On the other, the movie is also highly derivative, and the third act almost completely drops the ball. This is another one of those thrillers where I found myself more intrigued with the questions the first half brings up, than the answers that come later.

Let's focus on what works for now. Director James Wan and screenwriter Leigh Whannell (whose earlier collaboration brought us the Saw franchise) have crafted an old fashioned ghost story that relies on atmosphere and physical effects, rather than CG ghouls and things jumping up just out of frame for a cheap jolt. Sure, it's not entirely original (the movie owes more than a little debt to the original Poltergeist movie with some of its plot elements), but Wan shows he knows how to set up some very subtle unsettling atmosphere, which is a big change of pace from a lot of the "hit you over the head" effects we've been getting as of late. They understand that a physical shadowy figure pacing back and forth outside a window is much more intimidating than any computer generated monstrosity. Oddly enough, by sticking with traditional storytelling and old fashioned tension-building (which harken back to 1963's The Haunting), they almost accomplish something quite fresh.

Every good haunted house movie needs some unfortunate everyday souls whose lives get turned upside down, and here, we have the Lambert family. Josh (Patrick Wilson), a school teacher, and Renai (Rose Byrne), a stay-at-home songwriter, have gathered up their things, and moved their family (which include two young boys and a baby) to a new home. It seems innocent enough at first, but it doesn't take long one of their sons, little Dalton (Ty Simpkins), to discover the spooky old attic. Something scares the kid while he's up there, and he falls off a ladder, hitting his head. He seems fine at first, but the next morning, he won't wake up. The doctors at the hospital know that he's in a coma, but it's unlike any kind they've ever seen before. Josh and Renai think it was caused by the fall, but this wouldn't be a very good ghost movie if something more sinister wasn't afoot.

It does not take long for Renai, stuck at home while Josh avoids family problems by staying after at work, to start hearing and seeing strange ominous things around the house. Doors and windows open, sinister whispers are heard on the baby monitor, and bloody hand prints start appearing on the bed sheets. The family tries to move to a different house, but it seems that the spirits have followed them. This impressed me, as it's one of the rare times I can remember in a haunted house movie that a family actually moves out of the evil house fairly early on. Usually it's not until the walls ooze blood, and spawns of Hell are coming out of the woodwork that the families in these sorts of movies hire a moving crew. So, new home, but same ghost problem. That's when the Lamberts decide to call in some professionals.

This is also when Insidious starts to falter - A little at first, but gradually it falls off the wagon. There are some spoilers ahead (although some of this information has been revealed in the trailers and ads), so be warned. Josh and Renai call a psychic (Lin Shaye) and her two bungling comic relief ghost hunters (Angus Sampson and screenwriter Leigh Whannell) to investigate their problem. After a thorough check, the psychic ominously states that it's not the house that's haunted, but actually young Dalton, who has been comatose all this time, and has been receiving at-home care. Somehow, the kid's spirit has been separated from his body, and is being held captive in another realm by jealous spirits who hope to possess his body and live again through him. How they plan to bring their son back, I will not reveal, but it involves Barbara Hershey showing up as Josh's mom, and revealing some convenient last minute plot revelations about her son that start goofy, and end up being just plain ludicrous as it goes along.

The movie is much better when it's just being a simple spook house story. When it starts putting the pieces together, it actually starts to feel like a lesser experience. This is an increasing trend in Hollywood. Do screenwriters just not know how to come up with satisfying conclusions to the thrillers that they write? It hits especially hard here because, up to the third act, Insidious is actually quite good. Not great, but very good. In fact, up until this point, the only misstep the filmmakers make is trying to make the novelty song "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" by Tiny Tim come across as menacing. (A scene that's sure to elicit more bad laughs than screams from audiences.) Unfortunately, all bets go off during the last half, and the subtle creepiness is replaced with a lot of silly ideas.

So, I guess on the issue on whether or not I can recommend Insidious, I'm placed on the fence. There's a lot to admire here, and the filmmakers have succeeded in a lot of ways. But, this is also a movie that I find myself admiring more for what it tries to do, than for what it actually does. If you're the type who enjoys a good ghost movie, go see it and have fun. Just don't expect it to knock your socks off. It's strange, though. Flawed though it may be, I kind of wish there were more horror films just like it.

See the movie times in your area or buy the DVD at Amazon.com!

1 comments