Insidious
2011 · Directed by James Wan
Original language: English
- horror
- thriller
The story
A family discovers that dark spirits have invaded their home after their son inexplicably falls into an endless sleep. When they reach out to a professional for help, they learn things are a lot more personal than they thought.
What it’s like
Dim, cluttered family rooms lit by warm lamps and hallway nightlights, with the house's darkest corners left to deep shadow, and an unsettling calm that gives way to jolts of sudden, pale-faced menace. James Wan's camera moves slowly and deliberately, pushing in on still doorways and empty stairwells until something moves at the edge of the frame, and the score is built from sparse piano and low, scraping strings that swell into shrieking stingers. The mood is creeping dread rather than gore: the scares are sharp, brief and often startling, with a few violent moments and some frightening imagery, but little blood and no sexual content. The second half shifts into a stranger, more surreal register, with ghostly figures in a dim, otherworldly dimension, and the emotional core is a frightened, grieving family trying to hold together. Good for Halloween viewing, a dark night alone, or fans of haunted-house horror who want jump scares built on atmosphere rather than splatter.
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