Every so often, a new talent comes along in the Horror world that makes you stand and take notice. These new talents will sometimes release a debut film that is so remarkable and so striking that it will set a whole new sub-genre into the mix. One such director is James Wan, who in 2004 brought us the great “Saw” and ushered in the unfortunate sub-genre of ‘torture-porn’. Often, these new directors never follow up. The Horror genre is strewn with examples of directors who never lived up to their debut. One could be excused for imagining that, given the excremental imitators spawned by “Saw”, that James Wan would follow this example. It is, therefore, a delight to report that James Wan’s follow-up was a Horror movie that proved he is very much the real deal. That film was INSIDIOUS.
Josh and Renai Lambert (Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne) move their family into an old, charming house and look forward to starting their new life in their new home. Their older son, Dalton (Ty Simpkins), falls from a ladder while investigating some strange occurrences and goes into a coma. After bringing him home from the hospital, the family becomes plagued by paranormal phenomena seemingly centered around Dalton. They abandon the house and move, hoping to bring stability to their family. The occurrences only intensify in their new home, however, and it becomes clear that it is not the house that was haunted, but the family themselves.
INSIDIOUS is, at first at least, a haunted house story. We get the strange noises, the fleeting glimpses of apparitions, and the children who can see things that aren’t there. The first act of this film is one of the most genuinely scary haunted house movies ever made. Never stooping to cheap gore or gratuitous, fake ‘boo’ moments, James Wan gives us what feels like a real-world haunting. The second act, which reveals the nature of the haunting, is equally creepy - boasting the most original séance scene cinema has seen in a long, long time. The third act is a journey through a strange dimension that, again, is handled with great originality and skill.
INSIDIOUS boasts a great cast, too. Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson are believable and likeable as the parents trying to make sense of their situation. Barbara Hershey is great in her supporting role as the Grandmother who suspects the truth, and Lin Shaye is simply dynamite as the psychic who has, let’s just say, ‘unconventional’ séance equipment. The real star of INSIDIOUS, though, is James Wan and his thoroughly inspired and expert direction. One of the easiest things to do in Horror is make the audience jump out of their seats. An unexpected startle and a good ‘bang’ in the score is all it usually takes, and sure, this film has that. The difference here is that Wan gives us images in these ‘boo’ moments are uniquely original and disturbing. You get the startle and the music bang, but then a second later the hair on your arms will stand on end - as if what you’ve just seen has crawled under your very skin. THAT, my friends, is what a good scare is supposed to do.
James Wan has proved with INSIDIOUS that he is a fresh and visionary new voice in the Horror world. He has gone on to direct several big-budget studio franchise films, but let’s all hope that he never loses his passion for the genre that made him. He is a master of Horror and, hopefully, can be counted on to scare the pants off us every few years.
INSIDIOUS fun facts - The film was almost titled “The Further”. “The Astral” was also considered.
The mask used during the séance is based on the mask used by The Sandman from the Neil Gaiman comic books.
The demon that attempts to steal Dalton’s soul is played by Joesph Bishara, who was also the film’s composer.
The film had only a one moth long shoot.
Renai - “He's not in a coma. They don't know what to call it.”
Renai - “Things move around in here by themselves. I walk into the kitchen at night to get a drink, I can feel eyes on me.”
Elise - “The universe is deathless. It is deathless because having no finite self, it stays infinite.”
Elise – “I don’t think bad wiring is the problem here.”