Insidious

Insidious
by James Wan (2010)

The eldest son of the Lambert couple falls into an unexplained coma. Shortly after, supernatural events begin to manifest in the house.

Quote.

“Your son is not in a coma. The fall down the stairs has nothing to do with it. His physical body is here, but his spiritual part is not, and the reason these presences have followed you here is simply that it’s not the house that is haunted; it’s your son.”
(Elise)

The Further.

It is a place around us, yet at the same time, it is beyond our world. A dark and unknown universe, filled with the restless souls of the dead, where time does not exist. There is only an eternal wandering, in circles, without any real direction, like a labyrinth from which it is difficult to escape, perhaps impossible. A sort of alternate dimension where Dalton has the ability to travel while he sleeps, but where he has become trapped because he made the mistake of pushing too far ahead. And now some evil entities want to use his body to enter the real world.

Considerations.

James Wan directs one of his most successful films. Insidious earned 90 million dollars against a budget of just one million. Apart from these economic considerations, the film does not invent anything in terms of plot. We are faced with the usual story of a haunted house and demonic possession. Sinister creaks, distorted voices, and sudden appearances, accompanied by a volume increase, are all included in the package. What makes Insidious interesting is primarily the first part of the film. Here, Wan shows his skills and presents a film with a very tense atmosphere. He forgoes splatter scenes and plays everything on suspense and anticipation, without major special effects. And he does it in a quite elegant way. Just think about how he manages to create suspense, skillfully using sound and particularly well-placed shots. All this, combined with the good acting of the actors.
It’s also nice to see the idea of not immediately revealing the cards but leading the audience to believe that the house is haunted, not the child Dalton. What unfortunately works the least is the ending, where there is a gradual but inexorable loss of tension. A real shame, especially since the characterization of The Further works visually, although it is clearly inspired by Poltergeist. Fortunately, what Wan decides not to reveal is the reason that drives the damned souls to so insistently seek an entrance into our dimension. This unexplained mystery ends up giving Insidious a much greater charm in the eyes of the viewer.

Conclusions.

Thanks to its ability to combine psychological fears with stories of possession and parallel worlds, Insidious has become a very well-known title over the years. It has also spawned one of the most beloved and influential franchises in recent years.