On a dear friend's recommendation it was creepy, I bought "Insidious" without seeing it. I had confidence. After all, I loved "Dead Silence."
Within about 30 minutes of viewing, I'd seen things that gave me deja vu to "Amityville Horror," "Poltergeist" and "The Entity." That's not bad, but it didn't feel terribly original, although it was so steeped in atmosphere that I could be distracted by the fact that the family moving into a haunted house scenario had occurred way too many times in past movies. Instead, I found myself more distracted by the fact that James Wan is an amazing talent, but his movies seem to have the same kind of elements in them; the color red, clowns, creepy music, weird doll-like creatures, a father who is dick, and an ending that is rather campy.
That being said, this movie is soooo worth it for many reasons:
1. Atmosphere: It has a strange 70s feel to it almost, the houses were strangely
echoing with darkened edges and creaking doors and lots of hiding places.
2. Characters/acting: Nicely done. Not very famous or well known actors except for Barbara Hershey. They're good and really know their character's emotional range.
3. Supernatural elements: These were handled well, enough glimpses to feel freaked out and make you want to sleep with the light on. They entered a dark and creepy world that was believable and quite novel.
4. Use of creepy sounds/music: Brilliant! You know "The Strangers" and "Jeepers Creepers" had a creepy song playing? Well, this one is a doosie.
Yes, I highly suggest the movie and even suggest the purchasing of it for your collection. There are certain movies of modern times that left me with a residue, gave me an atmosphere and kept me enthralled and this was one of them, along with "Dead Silence," "30 Days of Night" and "Unbreakable." I put this in that category of atmosphere, storytelling, human frailties, grit, and uneasy feelings.
2. Characters/acting: Nicely done. Not very famous or well known actors except for Barbara Hershey. They're good and really know their character's emotional range.
3. Supernatural elements: These were handled well, enough glimpses to feel freaked out and make you want to sleep with the light on. They entered a dark and creepy world that was believable and quite novel.
4. Use of creepy sounds/music: Brilliant! You know "The Strangers" and "Jeepers Creepers" had a creepy song playing? Well, this one is a doosie.
Yes, I highly suggest the movie and even suggest the purchasing of it for your collection. There are certain movies of modern times that left me with a residue, gave me an atmosphere and kept me enthralled and this was one of them, along with "Dead Silence," "30 Days of Night" and "Unbreakable." I put this in that category of atmosphere, storytelling, human frailties, grit, and uneasy feelings.
