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Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson, left) and his wife Renai (Rose Byrne) must save their son from evil spirits in “Insidious.” |
“Insidious” is so confident it will scare the Pop Tarts out of us that it begins with a cheesy opening scene suggesting it’s going to be just another stupid, PG-13-rated horror movie.
While a boy quietly sleeps in his bedroom, Joseph Bishara’s over-the-top score hits every nerve-jangling, dissonant trill of the strings.
Then the camera slowly pans to the window.
There! In the window! Some old woman with yechy hair and a candle stands looking into the bedroom!
So what’s scary about that?
Nothing, except the overblown music.
With our expectations now lower than for a “Red Riding Hood” sequel, director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell — the sadistically inventive team behind all of the popular “Saw” movies — whisk us into a delightfully tongue-in-cheek, old-fashioned horror opus that’s part “Exorcist,” part “Haunting,” and all together creepy.
“Insidious” doesn’t break any new ground in horror.
It doesn’t want to.
Wan and Whannell recycle all the best conventions of nightmare films: the scary attic, the threatening darkness, the tension-filled seance, doors that won’t stay closed, comatose kids walking around in the middle of the night. And a few shocks. (Read more…)