Film Review of the Film Insidious (the Guardian)
The creators of Saw and Paranormal Activity have joined forces on this silly horror – which is good for a handful of jumps and guilty giggles before it quickly reaches for the slipshod, hokey contrivances you don't expect until number 2 or 3 in the franchise. You have to pity poor Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne, playing the parents of a young family; they must keep straight, serious actor faces while trapped in a haunted house movie, rejiggered into a possessed kid movie when their son falls into a coma – his soul trapped in a nether realm. Cue a cast of undead tortured souls: creepy twins; an old lady veiled in granny-net curtains; a demon luridly covered in black and red face paint like a juggler on ketamine at a rave, most preposterous and un-terrifying of the lot. Perhaps aware that they have a largely scare-free experience on their hands, the film-makers insert a comedy sideshow: a psychic who is more Avon lady than exorcist, accompanied by two geeky assistants.
