Insidious [Blu-ray]

A film like "Insidious" makes it look easier than it is for most filmmakers. It's, at its core, an old-school ghost story done with such modern flair . . .from everything to writing, acting, casting, score, cinematography, sound, and special effects, that it leaves me to wonder why more filmmakers can't make horror films this superbly. I am a jaded horror fan. Horror fans are like drug addicts...we keep chasing the cherry high. "Insidious" by description sounds like a story we have seen a thousand times. Young couple buys first house, nice kids, lots of high hopes for the future, all of which is wrecked by a pesky haunting. "Insidious" takes these tired ingredients and gives them more than a facelift...it has set a new bar for this sub-genre. Patrick Wilson (Little Children, Hard Candy) and the lovely Rose Byrne (TV's "Damages", "Get Him to the Greek", "Knowing") star as the young, idealistic couple, Josh and Raneigh, who find themselves plunged into a nightmare when they come to believe their house is haunted and means them harm as their 7 year old son ends up in an unexplained coma after a ghost encounter. Josh's mother (played by the aging ever gracefully Barbara Hershey) brings in a psychic to investigate (another cliche), but what again, sets this apart is the panache brought to the character by Lin Shaye, a terrific character and stage actress. She believes Dalton (the little boy) is a gifted astral-projector who has ventured too far away from his body. I won't explain more so as not to spoil the twists, but the ensuing action is as terrifying as movies get. Director James Wan, who cut his teeth on the original "Saw", infuses the films with energy, tension and unbearable suspense. My heart was pounding through most of the film. Did I mention there is a rather terrifying demon lurking about the house?"Insidious" was made on a shoestring budget of only $1 million. You would never know it in looking at the value per dollar on the screen. First-rate actors, superb art direction and special effects, it looks like a $40 million film. This gave Wan tremendous freedom to make the movie he wanted to make and the results are truly unnerving. The movie has an uncommon intelligence...this is a couple that actually talks to each other and believes each other, where lesser movies hang the plot on this communication not happening. I especially liked the fact that after a few incidents at their first home, they move. This usually harkens the end of the film. Instead, to the sickening realization of our characters and we the audience, the ghosts follow them, as it is not the house which is haunted, but the boy. The characters make logical decisions making them easy to indetify with and enormously likable. It helps to have actors of Wilson and Byrne's caliber. I was riveted to this film, and if you're a fan of ghost stories, especially those which rely on atmosphere, story and suspense over blood and guts, you will be richly rewarded and long haunted even after the credits roll. This is superior film, well worth purchasing. I recommend the Bluray version strongly to see the nuanced details in the art direction and the perfect replication of the original photography. Extras are light, which is disappointing, but the film more than makes up for it.*Also available on Netflix streaming.

Great movie

Years ago, young Josh (Patrick Wilson) suffered from night terrors; intense dreams that left the young boy terrified and screaming. Now, years have passed and Josh has his own family. Josh, along with his wife Renai (Rose Byrne) and their three children have moved into a new home. Everything is fine for a while until the oldest son Dalton (Ty Simpkins) suffers a fall in the attic. After the fall, Dalton slips into a coma. The trouble is that the doctors cannot explain why he is in the coma.After Dalton's fall, Renai begins seeing strange apparitions and hearing noises. Josh, while somewhat skeptical, believes his wife and, thinking that somehow the house is haunted, the family moves a new home. Although settled in their new home, the mysterious apparitions and noises didn't disappear with the move. Soon, Josh, Renai, and the children are running out of options. With seemingly nowhere else to turn, Renai enlists the help of a trained psychic (Lin Shaye) to determine the problem. Upon her investigation, she determines that Dalton has the ability of astral projection, and his spirit has been corrupted by evil and he's now imprisoned in a dimension known as "The Further". Only Josh, himself also able to astral project, can save his son from the demons who wish to possess him. Will he succeed before its too late?This is an excellent movie. There's no blood and gore here, only truly terrifying psychological terror. The story line is well-conceived, and the acting is very good. I watched the movie twice, and I jumped each time I saw it. Be sure to watch very closely, because there are some hidden clues throughout the course of the film. The ending is totally unexpected, too. You'll definitely be scared watching "Insidious". Highly recommended.