Then along comes Insidious. Okay, maybe I didn't fall head over heels in love, but I'm definitely ready to court! I wanted to see this flick, and almost saw it Friday night, but opted for Source Code. My hesitation with Insidious was simple: I was afraid that it was going to be another Drag me to Hell, where the entertainment value is not in the 'fright' or 'suspense' as much as it is in the 'stupid funny' that ensues. Well, theres nothing really stupid or funny going on here. It's a good plot that actually sticks, without petering out as the various points unfold.
The Lamberts have recently moved to a new home. It's an older home with the typical bells and whistles that an older house brings. You've got your creaking floors and your unlatching doors...and oh yeah, a few ghosts too. This comes to a head when the Lambert's oldest son, Dalton (Ty Simpkins) hits his noggin when falling from a ladder. He's fine until the next morning when ma and pa Lambert (Renai and Josh played by Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson) find Dalton fine and dandy except that he's in a coma. Paranormal stuff picks up from there forcing the Lamberts to flee their home to the safety of a new house. The trouble is that the freaky-deaky seems to have followed them. With that in mind, they seek the help of a paranormal team (nope, Jason and Grant weren't available) and pyschic Elise (Lin Shaye). Elise sheds light on the situation. As it turns out the Lamberts didn't need to move at all. After all, it wasn't their house that was haunted...no, not at all...it was just little Dalton. He was responsible for all of the freak.
It seems that Dalton is a 'traveler'. While his body remains safely in tact on earth, his spirit is wondering in another realm. Whilst Dalton is ringing up all kinds of frequent other-world miles, a whole host of spirits are laying in wait to stake claim on his body...thus all of the paranormal stuff. Yadayadayada Renai and Josh make a wild dash to bring Dalton back to this realm to restore normalcy to the homestead.
It's good. I'll go with 4.0 Stars here for one reason: It really freaked me a little bit and I'm not easily spooked. Admittedly, I don't freak easily. My defense mechanism has always been logic. I try to rationalize my way through a situation rather than getting caught up in the emotion of the moment. With that said, Insidious did freak my freak. It was thoroughly entertaining with solid acting, effects and most importantly a storyline that stayed intact throughout. So often you get a great plot in one of these flicks, but just when everything is supposed to come together, it crumbles. That wasn't the case here. There just weren't too many holes to be punched in this storyline. Plus, there was a distinctive Hitchcockian flare to the movie's shooting that so many flicks try to achieve but can't seem to pull off! Insidious pulled off that flavor quite effectively.
So, have I found a new love? Well, I'm not ready to make a commitment, but this is a movie that you should see and see BIG--that is, if you have an penchant for the frightening. After all, I think my friend Dawn was sufficiently freaked enough to spend the night had she not had pet obligations back at the ranch. (I did get a text earlier so I know she survived the night) I on the other hand, did okay, too. Nothing a little 'cover over the head' trick couldn't cure.
True...OUT!
No comments:
Post a Comment