Take Steven Spielberg’s Poltergeist, replace Carol Anne with a lethargic, pale boy reminiscent of those preferred by M. Night Shyamalan, and add Darth Maul.
Insidious, a new thriller from writer-actor Leigh Whannell and director James Wan, who together made names for themselves with their 2004 film Saw.
Insidious is actually quite good, with some genuinely frightening parts (as opposed to an exclusive use of sudden cuts for shock value). Its main problems are a strong resemblance to the aforementioned Poltergeist and the presence of Darth Maul – there’s simply no avoiding that fact.
The film begins after Renai (Rose Byrne, Get Him to the Greek) and Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson, The Switch) move into a new house with their two sons, Dalton (Ty Simpkins, The Next Three Days) and Foster (Andrew Astor, The Hangover), and baby daughter Calli. Life is normal for the family for a little while, until one day Dalton simply doesn’t wake up.
The doctors call it a coma, but cannot explain its cause. Eventually, the Lamberts move Dalton back from the hospital into their home. Shortly after Dalton returns home, the paranormal activity begins. Innocent enough at first, the events become more and more aggressive.
Inexplicable whispers on a baby monitor. Bloody handprints. Malevolent, shadowy figures.
The Lamberts eventually decide to move, convinced that it’s the house that’s the problem. But the events follow them.
At the advice of Josh’s mother (Barbara Hershey, Black Swan), the family calls in medium Elise Reiner (Lin Shaye, My Sister’s Keeper), who tells the family what can probably be guessed from every trailer made for the movie – that it’s not the house that’s haunted, it’s Dalton. Or, rather, the demons intent on invading his body while his spirit lies in a parallel world called The Further. This is bizarrely similar to Carol Anne’s abduction by the spirits in the television so that they can take her life force. At any rate, it’s up to Josh to bring Dalton back.
Wan and Whannell could certainly do comedy – they understand the elements of it. There are some laugh-out-loud funny moments in the film. And while ordinarily they’d seem out of place, they fit well in Insidious.
The film’s twist ending probably won’t come as a huge shock considering its producers, but it did an excellent job of leaving a space wide open for a sequel and for giving one last scare to viewers. All in all, a good film, if not entirely original.
Three out of four stars. Rated PG-13. 103 minutes. Now playing at AMC Star Southfield 20.
