Spooky Season 2022: Insidious Review

Insidious follows parents Josh (Wilson) and Renal Lambert (Byrne) as their comatose son Dalton (Simpkins) becomes possessed by a malevolent Red Faced Demon and they begin to experience a series of terrifying supernatural happenings throughout their home. This causes them to take drastic measures to save Dalton’s soul and vanish the demon forever.

The story is wholly fresh and original as Wan and Whannel explore the idea that its not actually one’s house that is haunted but rather a person. Shifting the paranormal/haunted house subgenre on its head, the film subverts viewers’ expectations and delivers a fresh experience that comes out of nowhere. Insidious is filled with plenty of terrifying and memorable jump scares. Whilst most are built up well, the best ones often come when they are least expected.

The horror of Insidious works on so many levels. For one, the prosect of being trapped by and now under the control of a demon is scary. Meanwhile, the film features some beautifully-shot yet haunting scenes and imagery but its scariest aspect by far is its score. Its over-the-top score adds yet another layer to the horror. Using the loud screeches of violins and the slamming of piano keys, its scary moments feel that much more terrifying, including a song that will make anyone’s skin crawl wherever they hear it.

Another way which Insidious brilliantly subverts expectations of a haunted house film is the setting of its related paranormal happenings with many taking place during the daytime, often under the light of day. This fact only adds to the film’s overarching feeling of dread, inescapability, and safety. Regardless of where or when the Lamberts are, evil will continue to follow and haunt them.

Wan similarly introduces viewers to the further, a brilliant and visually-interesting storytelling device at the center of all the supernatural happenings as well as introducing viewers to the extremely talented medium Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) to help assist the Lamberts with their predicament. She is easily one of the coolest protagonists and mediums in cinema and a character up there with the Warrens.

The cast is exceptional with Wilson delivering yet another great performance despite sadly not getting much time to shine here. Byrne is also exceptional, selling all the scares and making her character instantly likeable. The two standouts however, are easily Whannel as Specs and Angus Sampson as Tucker, the two paranormal researchers who assist Rainier on the technological side to prove supernatural events. Both deliver brilliant performances, they provide some much needed and hilarious comic relief.

In the end, Insidious as a whole is one of the most innovative horror films of the 2010s and one that delivers plenty of memorable scares, hauntings and nightmarish moments. With the film, Wan and Whannel provide a fresh tale that subverts all expectations from the haunted house subgenre.

*still courtesy of FilmDistrict*

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Olly Dyche

Journalist, Writer, Film Critic and Professional Nerd. You will probably find Olly at the cinema chomping down on some popcorn and taking in the glorious visuals of the latest theatrical release.