Haunted House?

Leave it to James Wan, the man behind Saw who kick-started the whole franchise, to make another low-budget thrilling horror experience. This time there is very little gore, no limbs being hacked off, no scary man in a freaky mask telling the victims that he wants to “play a game.” No, the villain here is far sneakier and sinister than that (hence the title). Plus with Insidious, Wan ventures out into the paranormal, as seems to be a popular crowd pleaser when it comes to the horror genre these days. Even the opening score, loaded with string instruments plucking away, is similar to those of vintage horror films that scare us even to this day.

Josh (Patrick Stewart) and Renai (Rose Byrne) are a married couple with three young children who have had the immense good fortune of moving into a nice spacious house. One day the ever-so curious Dalton wanders around the house, and whilst drawn by a mysterious force, climbs up into the attic, and falls due to a broken ladder. He seems fine as Josh and Renai rush to his aid, but the next day he ends up in a coma with no sign as to if he will ever recover. Doctors cannot figure out what is wrong with him, and no scientific explanation can be given for his condition.

But this is when strange supernatural events start occurring around the house. Foster (Andrew Astor), the middle child, claims he sees Dalton walking around at night. Renai can hear disturbing sounds through her baby monitor. Things go bang at night and family is terrorised by visions of scary spirits who show that even a smile can be petrifying. Quite sensibly, the couple conclude that it’s their house that is haunted. Josh, even though he appears rather skeptical, decides to move. But this is all in vain – for the horrific events only become more frequent than ever. Josh’s mother Lorraine (Barbara Hershey), has, along with some hidden family secrets, a method of her own she would like to try out. Her close friend Elise (Lin Shaye), an experienced medium with eyes of perception like no other, enters the house, and with some probing around, is sure that it’s Dalton that’s haunted, not the house. It’s a bizarre theory, with Wan throwing together some fairly far-fetched concepts of astro-projection and demonic possession. It may sound a tad silly, but what did you really expect from a supernatural horror anyway?

No matter how many preposterous developments the film may hurl at you (even the main villain looks like Star Wars’ Darth Maul’s long lost twin brother but with slightly worse graphics and make-up), the scares and characters remain effective. It certainly gets its job done, and surprisingly, without much blood. The number of characters stays restricted throughout, and Wan is a master when it comes to building tension. Most of the time, we know there is something lurking in the shadow. We know there must be something behind Josh or Renai as they worryingly walk around their house. It scares us more to think about the different possibilities of what hostile things could be appearing out of nowhere. And with a sharp, piercing screeching of his orchestra, Wan delivers some finely crafted chilling scenes.

With fine performances from rather well-known faces, the family dynamic is easy to settle into. Byrne can show fear exceptionally well, with her wide-eyed expression and scream appearing shockingly natural. Stewart, playing the well-known part of “doubtful male” is never annoying, but a fully committed family man providing as much support as he knows how. The most memorable are however the two matriarchal supporting players, Hershey and Shaye, whose crucial roles bring in even more terror and intensity. Wan also has time for some comedy too, believe it or not. The two rather goofy co-workers of Elise, Specs (Leigh Whannell) and Tucker (Angus Sampson), have a love-hate, bromance competition even in the midst of demonic invasion. They provide a brief but much-needed break from all the jump scares, all the while not wasting time with trivial, needless scenes.

Ending on an ambiguous note, there could well be a sequel, depending on how financially successful the film turns out to be. It’s doing well in the States, and because of its small budget ($1.5 million), the returns have been impressive enough. But it would be neater and at its peak just on its own. If the ideas here are stretched out even more with unnecessary follow-ups, with more absurd twists, that would be pushing it too far. Whether you can be fully on board with everything the film presents is obviously entirely up to you, but “Insidious” is so much more than what can be expected. Every movement of its characters and every single note of the highly creepy music crawl under your skin, waiting to erupt at the last minute for a loud, energetic climax.