Review of Insidious (2011) by Edgar C — 06 Aug 2013

Welcome to the Matrix of the Dead.

This cinematic quality would normally be floating around the 2.5 stars score, but several surprises raised.

First of all, astral projection is real. It happened to both of my parents; however, my father was the only one capable of "floating" out from his own body while sleeping. When my mother had that same projection, when she wanted to get out from bed, she describes that there was a cord pulling her back to her body. If she struggled to get out of her body, the cord would hurt her. The first thought that crossed her mind was: "I shouldn't struggle". So, she laid down on bed once again, not fully being able to get out from her body, and slept again.

But my father didn't. He took a journey that lasted for hours. He then proceeded to write down a fully detailed description of his journey before he forgot anything (like if he could), which fascinated my mother, my brother and I. The following morning after his journey, he draw a picture of a long road with trees on both sides that led to a giant light, but the road to the light was blocked by red wooden benches (the use of the red-colored door in the film is a proof that Wan, Whannell and co. did their research homework). "That was the road - he said - that I saw in my journey. However, no matter how much I struggled to get through the benches, climb them or walk through the sides of the road, my road to the light was impossible. The benches made it physically impossible. In that moment, a woman and a girl, presumably her daughter, showed up, and were also walking towards the light. They looked at me. Both smiled. After that, they proceeded towards the light, and found absolutely no difficulty walking through the benches. Somehow I knew that I had to go back and find my way to my body. Once I found it, I woke up. It was when I was awake that I came to the conclusion that, for some reason that I may never know, it wasn't my time. But it was theirs.".

Years later, my father attended a friends gathering with my mother. One of his old friends, whom he had not seen for some years now, happily greeted themselves and spent time together. At the moment in which my parents were leaving the gathering and headed back home, the same friend stopped them. He said to my father that he had something to give to him. Immediately, he handed him a book about "Astral Projections and the Metaphysical Mysteries of the Universe", or something like that. My father laughed, because he has never believed in the Horoscope and in similar sensationalist material. He has always been a scientist, studied Biology his whole life and is a cultured Physicist... In short, a declared fan of nature, living organisms and scientific facts of the Universe. His friend said: "I know you are a scientist and what you believe in, but this is a gift from me. You should find it interesting." As a polite gesture, my father accepted the present.

He didn't pay attention to it too much until one night he decided to read it out of curiosity. He was not really reading the articles or writings, just looking at the illustrations and pretty pictures. But then, he opened the book and found a chapter called "Astral Projections", and in it, in full, quality-printing color, the exact same road he had seen in his projection. He immediately rushed to find his own drawing, and compared it with the book.

And my fellow readers, his drawing and the illustration of the book are FUCKING IDENTICAL.

When he called my friend and asked him why did he give him the book, his answer was: "I see you finally have seen the page too. I had the same journey, and saw exactly the same road with threes on its sides.".

So, in a way, even if I have never experienced it, I somewhat know what it feels not to be trusted or believed by other people when you tell them these kinds of things. You may not even believe this story I am writing now, which makes it natural. It sounds out of this world, something nonsensical. Maybe it is, but it is also real.

Now onto the film:

Maybe it touched a sensitive fiber, but it surpassed expectations beyond my emotional bias, and that is the part in which my objective analysis as a critic and film admirer plays its role. Just like Poltergeist II: The Other Side, the film is divided into two chapters. The first one is something we horror fans - and quite probably film watchers alike - appreciate, because this is authentic horror. I believe more in atmospheric environments and suspense construction sequences more than in R-rated splatters. I believe more in them more than in jump scares. There wasn't gore, which I am thankful for, because one of the main sources of horror resides in the unknown. James Wan combined both atmospheric environments and jump scares, but I still rate both higher in the name of horror than violence and gore. I appreciate deeply the revival, because just when I thought that the film couldn't get scarier during the first house, the welcoming to the second house was unbearable. From the moment when the music track changes and there is a shadow dancing in front of it until 5 minutes later, my heart stopped. Good, I was in for a treat!

Then, the second chapter kicks in, maybe as a tribute to Poltergeist, but infinitely more ambitious. Tell me, what was the question going around in your head when Carol Anne was in an unknown realm.

Exactly!

You asked yourself: "How the hell does that world look like?" You imagine the worst things.

Well, Wan steps right into the stage and offers us a vision of the possible answer! He literally created another world of nightmares. I had never been so much infiltrated into the world of the dead before.

This review cannot omit the negative aspects. The first half was average and standard, some dialogues were clichéd and the journey into The Further, even if admirable in its ambition, goes suddenly way too over the top. Please guess what the ghosts look like? Surprise! Yes. People with excess of white makeup, Nicholson's-Joker-like smiles and Victorian costumes. A predictable-to-the-bone design, I accept, but shoot me, I was scared! Those looks always get me.

After stepping away from the Saw franchise, Wan and Whannell are giving it a shot with the supernatural, and they are indeed trying. Give it credit: you normally don't see something so ambitious, and it was a necessary twist to the interminable "haunted house" offerings. The climax wasn't as ridiculous as Dead Silence (2007) or cheesy as Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986). The quality increased, no matter how "derivative" you call it, so if they keep up with this pace, we may have a new horror master, and one of the few non-U.S. directors that keep up with their quality once they arrived to Hollywood instead of losing it.

57/100.