Insidious

From director James Wan ("Dead Silence") comes this gripping horror starring Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson.  Josh (Wilson) and Renai (Byrne) are new homeowners, and at first it seems that their dream home promises a better life for them and their three young children.  But soon after they move in, their son Dalton mysteriously falls into a deep coma that no one can seem to explain.  Then, Renai starts noticing strange happenings in the house and wonders if she's going crazy from stress... or is it possible that a sinister presence is wreaking havoc on their family and threatens to keep Dalton away forever?  Before I comment, let it be known that as a huge horror film buff, I've seen my fair share of scary movies (both good and bad) and I don't scare easily.  That being said, I cannot recall the last time I was this terrified from watching events unfold on my television screen.  Wan, a master of suspense who directed the original "Saw" (in my opinion, the only good "Saw" in the franchise) expertly sets the dark tone of the story from the very first frame where we see an indelible image of a grotesquely disfigured old woman.  The pace is perfect as the spooky events start off small and dismissible, and gradually build to panic-inducing occurrences that even a rational person can no longer ignore.  Byrne is terrific here as the haggard, stay-at-home mom who is forced to deal with keeping the household and caring for Dalton almost single-handedly while her husband goes off to work everyday.  Meanwhile, Wilson (who has experience playing men trying to break free of suburban life, see "Little Children") is the dad who copes by ignoring the problem and leaving all the heavy-lifting to his overburdened wife; Wilson does this so well that you want to yell at the screen for him to man up and do something already.  The imagery is thoroughly creepy and the score elegantly done - you won't find any cheap scares here that resort to a cat jumping out from behind a curtain while a loud violin tries to startle you.  "Insidious" is unsettling to watch and will have you squirming with anxiety - a rare feat of a horror film that will not easily be forgotten.

4 out of 5 stars