Despite the fact all his vital signs are normal, a little boy has lapsed into a comatose state after encountering something in the attic of his parents' new home. Handsomely-made ghost story with some shudders, though director James Wan and screenwriter Leigh Whannell keep the audience on edge by mechanical means: loud noises, door slams, an earsplitting security alarm and an incessantly crying baby. The only aural effect that shows any ingenuity is a '60s recording of Tiny Tim singing "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" (which is scary all by itself). The family at the center of this thriller are cookie-cutter dull, while the plot developments are derivative and carried out listlessly. Followed by a sequel in 2013 and a prequel in 2015...and one fears there's more to come. *1/2 from ****

It took me a while to watch 'Insidious' and its follow ups, with so much going on with my studies and commitments and with an ever growing watch and review list. Decided to finally watch them all, with the intent of reviewing the latest film as part of my quest to see as many 2018 films as possible and wanting to see how it compared with the previous outings. Also with an appreciation, if not quite undying love, for horror.

Having seen 'Insidious', it is not a horror classic, or at least to me it isn't, and it is understandable as to why people don't like it. Especially if over-familiarity, strangeness and silliness are not for you. Personally, 'Insidious' was, warts and all, worth the too-overdue wait, and it is not hard to see why it has appealed to others. There are a lot of merits executed very well.

For one thing, 'Insidious' llooks great, especially for horror films released in recent years (too many of which have looked like they were made on the schlocky cheap). It looks slick and stylish while having a spooky setting and suitably nightmarish lighting. The music, when used, is haunting and not over-bearing, recorded in a way that is not overly loud or obvious that it spoils the atmosphere (which was great because many horror films seen recently failed in this regard).

Script is not too awkward and is structured coherently, with nothing cheapening it like sluggish exposition or cheesy misplaced humour. The direction is meticulous in detail and clearly shows an engagement and ease with the material. The story takes time to unfold but doesn't get dull, actually really admired the restraint of the first half, meaning that the film started off incredibly well. 'Insidious' is genuinely scary with a great atmosphere, with actual tension, suspense and dread, in a palm-sweating and heart-pounding sense at its best, while not relying too much on jump scares (they are there but have build up and were surprising).

Also liked the characters more than expected. The leads were ones worth caring for, didn't get frustrated with them, wish for more personality or annoyed by them. The ghosts may be overused but have eerie presences and didn't look that cheap to me. The direction is assured and the performances are strong from particularly an intense Lin Shaye and Patrick Wilson handling his character growth believably. Rose Byrne is also as professional as ever.

On the other hand, the restraint does decrease later on and things get a little too over-the-top in some of the second half, very unsubtle over-stuffed kitchen-sink-like. Things do get silly at this point too and less logical, making the sense go out the window. The second half is still intriguing and creepy, the film just worked much better when restrained.

It has been said that 'Insidious' is derivative. Definitely agree with this, the over-familiarity from running through as many modern-haunted-house clichés as can muster and having parts similar to other horror films is all over the film and makes one wish there was more freshness.

Will admit that the final twist is a shock, but instead of being unnerving of ingenious it came over as out of kilter wacky and not easy to take at face value. The whole ending in fact felt rushed.

Summing up, enjoyable and effective but the divisiveness is understandable. 7/10 Bethany Cox

INSIDIOUS is yet another one of those Hollywood ghost stories involving a possessed child. It follows a predictable format, with minor, isolated incidents gradually giving way to larger-scale, more pronounced apparitions and events before culminating in a full-scale onslaught of evil. And it's all rather silly.

I enjoyed the first half of the movie. It's here where things are kept subtle and straightforward, with effectively creepy scare scenes and half-glimpsed figures spotted lurking in darkened rooms. So far, so good. But around the halfway mark, the film introduces a trio of paranormal investigators and things quickly descent into POLTERGEIST-style farce.

The problem with depictions of a hellish limbo or netherworld is that, in order to make something scary, you have to pretty much identify with the different fears of each viewer. Sorry, but I don't find tussles with greasy-looking hobos and Darth Maul from THE PHANTOM MENACE to be particularly frightening; in fact, there's something pantomime about the whole thing.

The actors, including the dependable Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson, do their best but at times in the latter stages they seem to struggle to keep a straight face while the ludicrous events increase in scale and speed. It's a shame that the whole thing goes to pot, because if it had been handled more sensitively (and with less sensationalism) by the team behind the SAW franchise then it could well have worked much better.