“Insidious” haunts the home video space once again after a long absence with a brand new 4K image with Dolby Vision/HDR and a new fantastic-sounding Dolby Atmos track. All of this is located in a sleek new Steelbook with new artwork and a Digital Code. Truly a must for fans! A film that was released over 12 years ago, “Insidious” is a horror movie that created a worldwide phenomenon in horror. It spawned a franchise and movie universe in the horror realm that is still very much alive today and could be said to have reignited those ghastly and terrifying moments of joy for horror. Still after all these years, Insidious is a fun and scary movie with great performances and spooky visuals that can’t be unseen. It’s held up strong and should continue to do so.
Here we have a middle-class family being upset by a ghastly presence. At first, the family seems to think that it’s the house that’s haunted. But after relocating, it is revealed that it’s it isn’t the house that’s haunted but one of the family members! And hence, the dark underworld has formed an insidious plot to do its ghastly deeds.
Granted, this particular film isn’t all that different from the neo-horror films, depending heavily on standard spooky devices like the random, unexplained sounds around the house, or the sudden, disturbingly-loud increase in the musical score. But director James Wan and screenwriter Leigh Whannell, who also partnered to kick-start the ‘Saw’ franchise, balance those scenes with plenty of visual creepiness. When the screeching cries of the house alarm goes off, dad (Patrick Wilson) runs downstairs to find the front door inexplicably wide open, as if someone ran out quickly (or ran in). Mom (Rose Byrne) sees faces standing over the baby’s crib and the figures of people walking around the house. There are no fake scares here. Filmmakers construct a thick air of alarm and go straight for the throat in order to startle and horrify. But before we even arrive at that point, Wan establishes a frightful, disconcerting atmosphere very early on. The instant the movie’s already ominous title occupies the entire screen like demonic vertical scratches, the room is saturated with piercing music which warns that something sinister this way comes. It feels like a clever combination of ‘The Exorcist’ and ‘The Omen’ with a subtle pinch of Hitchcockian suspense. Things really only start getting weird, however, after Dalton’s (Ty Simpkins) harmless accident in the attic strangely leads to a mysterious coma. The family’s torment grows progressively worse until we eventually find ourselves in an exceedingly fun haunted house thrill ride, which reminded me greatly of Knott’s Halloween Haunt back in their heyday. ‘Insidious’ also comes with an equally fun throwback feel to some classic paranormal flicks of decades ago, as if possessed by them but in a way that still feels original and terrifying. Tobe Hooper’s ‘Poltergeist’ is most obvious when Lin Shaye’s clairvoyant medium, Elise Reiner, shows up and gives proper explanation to the strange occurrences surrounding the family. Shaye is quite good in her portrayal, but the role and the things the character can do somehow seem limited so as to create a convenient excuse for dad saving the day. The movie also seems to sidestep ‘The Amityville Horror’ and goes for more of the classic scare stylings akin to ‘Legend of Hell House’ and ‘The Shining.’ And it’s all the better for it, because it delivers on what it promises – a frightfully atmospheric good time. I imagine there will be some serious nitpicks, namely the second half not quite living up to the first, but frankly, without some of that discussion on astral projection, the visually cool trip through “The Further” would not be possible. Besides, the old woman in the black wedding dress more than makes up for any shortcomings. The lipstick-face demon not so much, but he’s still sort of cool to look at. In the end, ‘Insidious’ is a slow-burning tension builder overflowing with hair-raising, spine-tingling atmosphere which can proudly sit alongside such paranormal horror classics as ‘The Innocents’ and ‘The Sentinel.’
Bottom line, if you don’t own the Blu Ray of “Insidious,” then the 4K UHD is a great addition to your collection (providing you’re a horror fan). Even if you have the Blu Ray, the 4K upgrade is well worth it. This film is dark most of the time and there are some imagery that can be seen clearly only with 4K Blu Ray. Such as the visitor in Dalton’s room, where he is more pronounced on 4K. “Insidious” is a great horror film.
