The Fantasy Review‘s Spoiler-Free Review of Insidious (2010).
Rating: 5/5
Insidious (2010) was one of the first horror movies to properly creep me out. For its time it was an original take on the possession and haunted house subgenre, with the astral projection premise.
There was nothing like seeing this movie when it came out. It felt fresh, exciting, and scary. The premise and plot are executed well, with an intriguing mystery that unfolds. The characters are all great for the most part, making us emotionally invested in the outcome of the story.
Elise is the most interesting character, as the paranormal investigator. I don’t like where her story goes, but I do like what she brings to the narrative. And the performance by Lin Shaye is fantastic – it’s great we got to see her again in future movies.
Josh and Renai (played by Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne respectively) are thoroughly enjoyable characters to watch. They care deeply for their family, with their concern for Dalton, their eldest and the focal point of the movie, pulling at our hearts.
I loved the exploration of the astral projection, entering the other world called “The Further”. It is a very cool premise and one that is introduced very well in Insidious. It’s something you want to see more of, provoking a lot of curiosity, but are also terrified of at the same time.
I love a horror movie with a good mystery, and that’s something James Wan seems to do very well. It was a fantastically written script that I can enjoy on every rewatch.
Overall, Insidious was an instant classic and one I think will serve as an inspiration to many horror movies in that subgenre for a long time.
