Starring Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Barbara Hershey
Directed by James Wan

Here is another example of the current rebirth of the haunted house horror, and one not too dissimilar to previous demonic dwelling sensation, Paranormal Activity. But Insidious eschews the suggestive approach for a tour de force of blood curdling delights.

Following a genuinely creepy opening credits sequence, we are introduced to Josh and Renai Lambert, a young couple who have just moved into a new home along with their three children. Josh works long hours as a teacher while Renai stays home to work on her music. She isn’t too fazed when unpacked items begin to disappear and reappear elsewhere in the house. Nor is she when their eldest son, Dalton, starts having strange and vivid dreams. But when one morning he cannot be woken, they suddenly find themselves in a nightmare when they learn that he has fallen into a deep and inexplicable coma. Unbeknownst to the distraught couple however, Dalton is not in a coma, and his soul has entered a sinister realm known as ‘The Further’.

Insidious is a decent old style jumpy horror and for the most part it works pretty well. There is little originality here, but one guesses that this was not what they are trying for in the first place.

Where it works very well, is in achieving what the aforementioned Paranormal Activity achieved so well; the ability to make you terrified of your own house, through the use of creaking doors, swaying light fittings and other occurrences not that unusual to creep you out when you’re home alone late at night. All this is played out to a very unnerving shrill, atmospheric soundtrack. Where it loses itself, is with the far too manic sequences towards the end as the elongated plot finally reaches its resolution.

That said, if it’s jump in your seat fearful fun you’re after, then this will not disappoint.