Director James Wan is perhaps best known for directing the first Saw, a franchise of horror movies that spiralled out of control to end up being more about gore than about scare. Movies like Paranormal Activity have shown that you do not need a lot of blood to scare an audience. So it is a good thing that Oren Peli, the mind behind that movie, was involved as producer for Insidious. The movie’s first half is undoubtedly best and effectively builds tension. The power of suggestion is often used: that what the audience can not see scares them the most. Hence, this is not a movie for the faint of heart. I was in a particularly easy-to-scare mood, so I admit to shielding my face during the build up to some of the movie’s most intense moments. Unfortunately the creators also resort to cheap tactics such as using loud audio to jump you out of your seat. This is not helped by a very cheesy title sequence with supposedly scary (annoying) music. The second half of the movie has its moments, but is a bit messy. The plot is certainly interesting. However, it is stretched too far in the end which breaks suspension of disbelief. Nevertheless, the creators know how to scare an audience, and that is what most people come for anyway 🙂

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

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