Insidious

As long as Wan sticks to classic waters, it’s nothing miraculous, but it works. But as soon as he strays into uncharted, astral waters, everything goes up the pipes, because everything suddenly turns so dumb and ridiculous that there is no room for atmosphere or tension; which of course I expect, when watching similar genre movies at three in the morning with the volume on full. (06/25/2011)

I will start pointing out a couple of flaws to avoid giving the impression that I think Wan’s new film is a masterpiece. Some scenes are clumsily edited, the actors are not very convincing at times, and the script could be a little more sophisticated – I was able to figure out one of the minor twists the moment the film began preparing for it. But sod those minor mistakes, I haven’t felt so scared from a film since REC (2007). When it comes to arousing fear "INSIDIOUS is insidious", really. The opening credits have more atmosphere and paranormal phenomena than the entire Paranormal Activity, and the quieter first half made me jerk with two jump-scares, making it clear that this film would not fall into oblivion. And I’m not speaking about any cheap jump-scares where a monster says “boo!!” in a thousand decibels. No, here the monster is standing quietly in a corner and you get scared when you notice it (together with the characters). In the second half things go full steam – a seance and astral travelling – and I was jerking nervously, almost non-stop. Back in the day, Saw shocked and excited me, Dead Silence was a pleasant surprise, but it’s Wan who has made a proper horror gem. Insidious isn’t a trendy horror video clip for the 21st century, but crystal clear terror like from an old master. As horror 10/10. (04/25/2011)

A pretty intense and scary ghost film that only uses the best of the tried and tested genre elements the viewer is always guaranteed to enjoy. The script is weaker (come up with an original horror film nowadays), but James Wan has really played with the form and his imaginative direction doesn't let you breathe practically throughout. The actors are also very good, the atmosphere is chilling and disturbing, and the music is strong enough to underscore the scares and amplify their effect. And if I said I didn't get chills down my spine during the final scene, I'd be lying like a politician... :) It has steamrolled Paranormal Activity. 80% (04/12/2022)

A beginning like Paranormal Activity, a middle like Poltergeist, and an ending like Brian Yuzna. I don't understand why anyone wants to make a tired piece of crap like this these days. I put it on at 10pm, with the wind whipping the trees outside, I live alone, and the sound is full on. Sure, I was scared, I even choked on my Coke, but for God’s sake it was nothing else. I could pull just as spectacular a jump scare in a heartbeat on my rat without any resources (and it's a pretty intrepid rat), so I don't understand what James Wan was trying to prove. It has its stronger moments – the uptight family, for example, reminded me of the perfect The Cell, but otherwise it's all terribly... about nothing. Then the ending is a total throwback to the 80's, a fair fight with a ghost, a practically off-the-shelf demon, and a huh huh huh surprise finale. The main villain, in any case, is hilarious. He's always popping up somewhere, but he doesn't do anything, all you have to do is hide behind your bed in such a way that your whole torso is showing and you're free of him. Monsters live in closets, and... God, that I’m even wasting my time. Stars for music and the family. (10/06/2011)

The introduction of the movie did not really excite me. The teacher, who has so much work at school that he cannot be at home, did not sit well with me and the film did not make things easier for me. Simply just a person sitting in the classroom doing nothing. If he didn't have work, it would turn out the same, just as if he were doing something else. The fact that the main character of the film "Sinister" was a writer became the driving force of the plot. I generally didn't connect with the characters, but I also had to accept that there were no new ideas here. Maybe if I had seen the movie "Insidious" before the horror film "Sinister," I would have a different perspective, but like this, it just became another supernatural film for me, which brought primarily a new mythology, a new world in which it is possible to continue. It is somewhat similar to "Paranormal Activity," but fortunately, it didn't try to be a handheld camera, which I definitely understand as a plus. Illogical behavior and predictable scares are completely normal, but here, the illogical actions bothered me a bit. Especially in the first half, it was evident that it was mainly about the effect, the script, and not about a genuine effort to get as close as possible to the real world. However, I must positively evaluate the ghosts and demons; they look good. "Insidious" deserves an above-average rating, but it is definitely not the blockbuster I expected. (11/19/2013)