INSIDIOUS

The Lambert family has just moved into a new house. Creaks, strange noises, and things out of place are the order of the day, but we know, a new house and the chaos of moving can play such tricks. One day, little Dalton, while playing in the attic, falls from a ladder, hits his head, and sees something sinister in a corner. His screams attract the attention of his parents Josh and Renai, but it seems there is nothing concerning. The next morning, when Josh goes to wake Dalton up to go to school, he realizes the child is not waking up. The doctors don't know what to think: no trauma, nothing broken, it's as if Dalton is voluntarily in a coma. Three months pass, and the child is still in those conditions, cared for at home by his mother Renai. Meanwhile, noises and strange presences have manifested to the woman, becoming increasingly insistent and violent. With her nerves in shreds, Renai asks her husband to move because she is convinced that their house is haunted by a malevolent presence. Once in a new home, the couple realizes that the strange events persist and that probably it is not the house that is haunted... Among the most talented contemporary horror film directors is undoubtedly James Wan, the young co-author of the cult saga "Saw." Four films, four hits for a director who shows remarkable authorial consistency, capable of switching from classic suggestions to a modern style while leaving his mark. "Saw" laid the groundwork for a true cinematic sub-genre—the torture porn—and gave life not only to the most profitable horror franchise of recent years but also to a new icon of genre cinema, Jigsaw/The Jigsaw Killer... but we all know this, it's a fact. The difficult part came with the second film, because after a successful start, it was hard to do better. In fact, the beautiful "Dead Silence" disappointed at the box office, and even worse was the performance of the equally deserving "Death Sentence." Then came "Insidious" to turn the tide, and with a minuscule budget of just $1.5 million, it grossed an astonishing $54 million in America alone. Why this unexpected success? Because the film is beautiful and genuinely scary, one would say, but it is likely that this is simply the right time for the sub-genre of haunted houses and home demons, inaugurated with success by "Paranormal Activity." Indeed, there are not a few points of connection between the mockumentary saga and Wan's new film, starting with the common producers Jason Blum, Jeanette Brill, Steven Schneider, and Oren Peli (the latter also director of the first "Paranormal Activity!") to continue with the very similar basic theme. However, Wan wants to follow a very personal path that can first and foremost anchor his work to the universe of classic/modern cinema about haunted houses. The primary matrix is undoubtedly "Poltergeist—Demoniache Presenze" by Tobe Hooper, mentioned several times and cited by the director himself as his primary source of inspiration. But it's not just the 1982 film in "Insidious," but we can find all the tropes of the cinema of cursed dwellings, from the 1960s gothic for the funeral atmospheres and large portions of darkness, to the Amityville-style massacres up to the "cheap scaries" that are more current. You will understand that it is not therefore the objective of this film to be original, rather to mix the ingredients for an enjoyable and genuinely terrifying film. Because this is what "Insidious" succeeds in doing best, scaring. Almost two hours filled with moments that make you jump out of your seat and guaranteed goosebumps, but it's not just about easy scares relying on sound launched in an unbridled manner (although there are no lack of classic games relying on the alternation of sound planes), but of real preparation of tension, subtle suspense magnificently managed by sequences built to artfully unsettle. The screenplay by the trusted Leigh Whannell (who also appears as an actor in the role of one of the medium's assistants) is well constructed, with the aim of telling a credible story in its absurdity, paradoxically realistic; moreover, the characters are endowed with a proper psychological characterization, and there is even some welcome plot twist. The only criticism goes to the unexplained exit of the younger children of the protagonist couple. The beauty of "Insidious" is that, in addition to the formal perfection given by a beautiful and dark photography (work of David M. Brewer and John R. Leonetti) and a symptomatic propensity for scaring, it also has the merit of giving life to a suggestive figure of a boogeyman. The black demon with a face of flames and goat-like paws is scary (and looks a bit like Darth Maul from "Star Wars," let's just say...) and his obsession with little Dalton has all the characteristics to annex him to the numerous ranks of cinematic incarnations of the boogeyman. Beautiful, then, the scene in which we see him in his den full of dolls and marionettes (a real obsession for James Wan!) while he sharpens his claws. Perfect characterization of a boogeyman! Special mention to the music by Joseph Bishara (who also gave body to the aforementioned demon), a series of atonal piano beats and screeching violins that give a real sense of unease and discomfort, as well as clear references to past films. "Insidious," in the end, possesses this timeless character that makes it seem like a film from the past, particularly anchored to the 1980s, while retaining a predisposition for more modern styles, almost like a music video... in this regard, it would not be strange if someone thought of the videos of some songs by Marilyn Manson in the scenes where Josh wanders in the dimension of the Other. Excellent the main actors Patrick Wilson ("Passengers—Mystery in High Places;" "Watchmen") and Rose Byrne ("Sunshine;" "28 Weeks Later"), who bring to life a credible couple in which he is a bit distracted and superficial but always ready to please his wife and she is responsible and fragile. Notable also is the character actress Lin Shaye, who here plays the medium Elise. In short, "Insidious" is a film worth watching, a beautiful journey into the house of horrors that each of us as children imagined by looking from outside the respective attraction of the amusement park. Well done, Wan, a thrilling film! Curiosity. In the scene where Josh Lambert/Patrick Wilson is at work in class, you can clearly see on the blackboard behind him, drawn with chalk, the face of Billy, the characteristic puppet of the "Saw" saga with a mysterious "8" underneath. Billy is also recurrently hidden in the other films by Wan.