Insidious – JP’s Scary Movie Collection

This week:

A gripping story of a family in search of help for their son, Dalton, who fell into a coma after a mysterious incident in attic. Little do they know that there is much more to this endless sleep than meets the eye as they explore the paranormal, and rediscover the past; the key to getting their son back once and for all. - David Murray Arthur

This week I'm sharing one of the newest favorites to be added to my collection. I actually stumbled across this gem while browsing through Netflix one lazy Sunday afternoon. I knew nothing about the film and decided I would give it a shot. Needless to say, I was not disappointed!

Insidious was released in 2010, and was billed as coming from the "makers of Saw and Paranormal Activity". Now in 2010 that still kind of meant something because people still kind of remembered 'Saw'  and the first 'Paranormal Activity' as both being pretty damn good scary movies. Today, both of these films have become rubber stamp franchises churning out cheap "thrills" year after year.  Mercifully though, I do think Jigsaw and his fifty million "disciples" have been put to rest.

I found 'Insidious' to be a truly frightening film, it relies on a wide range of techniques to truly scare the viewer. There is no blood, and excessive gore. Insidious delivers tension building pacing and well timed moments that will surely have you grabbing for your significant other or that "Monster Proof" blanket we all keep close for occasions like these.

The movie holds together really well right up until the end. I was  enthralled with the movie right up until the inevitable climax of the story. The film's attempt to wrap up everything felt very "cartoonish" and silly compared to thus far. I don't want to say it felt rushed, but it does take an unnecessary sharp left turn and the "twist" ending isn't clever and very predictable.

A weak ending is a small price to pay for a very solid "Scary Movie". Insidious delivers what I expect of all movies of this type,  a damn good scare! So the next time you're browsing through your Netflix queue or stumble upon this one in your buddy's DVD collection, you owe it to yourself to give it a try!