114, Insidious

Categorically speaking, I don't do horror films (See Scream 4 Blog), but Scream 4 is not a Horror.  It's Hollywood's interpretation of a glamorous slasher movie.  Boobs and knives etc.  On the other hand Saw, Hostel, Hills have Eyes etc are also not scary films.  Sometimes they are gross out blood fests that make you squirm and in my case as it was with Hostel, feel a little queasy but again, not pinned to your seat, white fear kind of stuff.

Jump back a few decades.  As a kid I sneaked peaks at Poltergeist, Amityville etc and they proper freaked me out and I sadly cant comment on recent outings with Paranormal Activitie(s) so going into this one was a bit of an experience.

Firstly, I had to look up what Insidious meant!  My love of Russell Brand does not always stretch to his vocab talents so,  Research was required;

Insidious - Adjective

1. intended to entrap or beguile: an insidious plan.
2. stealthily treacherous or deceitful: an insidious enemy.
3. operating or proceeding in an inconspicuous or seemingly harmless way but actually with grave effect: an insidious disease.

Hmmm.  Nice!

Yes, its a scary movie - I dare the toughest of you not to jump even a little bit at a number of points throughout and I have to admit, slightly sweaty on the palms - I jumped, but not a proper scream out loud, popcorn in the air, kick to the back of the head of the guy in front kind of way.

The plot is a simple one - sweet young family move into nice big Amityville style property (should have seen the signs early!) and after a short time the son falls into a coma.  Wifey staying at home while husband skirts the issue by working longer hours etc.  Then the ghosties start to appear, and not Beetlejuice stylie ghosties.  Actual creepy ones.  The main, resembling a nasty version of Darth Maul but there are a few that jump out at you throughout.  To try and fix this, they move house, but the trouble moves with them.  More ghosties thrown together with knocks, bangs and hand prints lead to a bit of a spine chilling adventure until an unlikely combo of old friend / demon hunter and her "Egon Spengler(ish)" like double act of assistants descend to film, capture and send home the Demons from within.

Each of the cast plays their parts brilliantly - the movie even manages to get a slight chuckle towards the end with a "my flashlights bigger than your flashlight" moment and I am not even going to tell you if there is a happy ending! Like me you will have to sit through the 90 minutes of thinking if you are actually going to scream like a girl in public (which I didn't) or if this is another disappointing outing from the movie people trying to be scary.

Either way - for an up to date psychological thriller it definitely ticks lots of boxes.  Horror film though? Well, not really.  But I urge you to take someone slightly less brave than you and make them see it, as I did.  And that is where this blog resolves, in a heartfelt thank you to my wife.  Although she shares a name with the leading character (which really did not go down too well) she manned-up and sat though her worst nightmare purely because I asked her too.  Yes she got scared, Yes she wont ever go again but to those who know her personally, She deserves a big well done!!

See this if................................you want to relive those early scares of 80's Horror in 2011.