INSIDIOUS plays as a very straightforward terror tale

I want to start off this review by saying that one of the very few movies that ever terrified me as a child was POLTERGEIST. I will also say that it still remains to this day one of the very few movies that can still effectively crawl right under my skin. With that being said, I was a prime target for director James Wan's latest genre effort, INSIDIOUS as the movie very much feels like a fresh spin on what POLTERGEIST so effectively did in the 80s, but never in a way that reads as a rip-off. INSIDIOUS is very much as bold and refreshing as SAW was when it played in theaters back in 2004.

No creepy doll in sight this go-around, INSIDIOUS plays as a very straightforward terror tale that introduces us to an average suburban family struggling with everyday life: Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renee (Rose Byrne) have just moved into a new house for their three small children, and a pair of careers that keep them in an underlying struggle for each other's attention. The story really begins picking up when one morning, their young son Dalton (Ty Simpkins) refuses to wake up. He's not in a coma, exactly, but the doctors simply don't know how to bring him around. The story quickly jumps to a few months later and Dalton now resides (and continues to remain in his coma-like sleep) at home -- and then the proverbial poop bucket hits the fan.

Renee is heartbroken over Dalton's condition, but manages to put on a semi-brave face when dealing with her two other children, a marriage in trouble, and her house that abruptly begins to have a bad case of the "spookies." It all becomes to much when Renee is seemingly attacked by an apparition and Josh being skeptical but faithfully devoted to his wife, he concedes to her urging to move to a new house. Turns out though, poor Renee soon realizes that moving didn't help anything and she turns to a spiritualist (Lin Shaye) to help deal with her supernatural issues. INSIDIOUS's third act is a quick-paced, white-knuckle stumble to the finish line that is one of the strongest final acts I can recall in a horror flick in the last 10 years- easy. I had to remind myself to breathe at times, even.

Wan and who reteamed with Leigh Whannell (wrote the script in addition to pulling actor duty) seem entirely intent on keeping INSIDIOUS a glowing example of the old-school approach to horror being effective storytelling for modern audiences. The film has an incredibly organic feeling (much due to a very low amount of CG used) and as the story began to unfold, I completely slipped right into Whannell's story, which is a testament to his ability to creep you out and keep you guessing until the very end. INSIDIOUS is also an incredibly well-cast effort which is a rarity these days in terms of theatrical horror. Wilson and Byrne's chemistry is instantaneous, Simpkins' plays haunted with ability beyond his years, and Shaye steals the show, along with her sidekicks Specs (Whannell) and Tucker (Angus Sampson). The trio brings in some heart to the terror and offers a bit of lightheartedness just when the audience needs it most.

Being a huge fan of the SAW franchise, I had high expectations going into INSIDIOUS and the film blew every one of them out of the water. I may actually believe this is Wan and Whannell's best collaboration to date as they both seem more poised in their roles as storytellers (with Wan's vision and Whannell's words). I haven't enjoy getting this scared in a long time!