So I’m pretty sure at this point everyone knows I like horror movies. I fell in love with them at a young age thanks to my mother watching some of the best horror movies out there, and have only continued to enjoy them as I’ve gotten older. Films from Ari Aster, the Halloween movies, and so many more have been a staple of my life, but something I didn’t realize I cared about as much until now is the movie Insidious.
The film was released back in 2010, when I was still in middle school, and was one of the first scary movies I ever saw, considering it was rated PG-13 and I had already seen horror movies with my mom, so she took me to see it. I only just re-watched it now as an adult, almost thirteen years later, and a lot of my opinions on it have changed, so much. With Insidious: The Red Door releasing later in 2023, now is the perfect time to re-visit this James Wan classic.
This Movie Has So Many Classic Horror Tropes – But They’re Done Well
I remember that one of the first things I noticed as a kid when I saw Insidious was that there were a lot of horror tropes. It was something I picked up on early as a young cinephile and it’s something I look out for in any horror movie that I watch now, including older ones. Insidious was very much one of those movies that used them pretty often.
Right from the beginning of the film, we have so many horror tropes, from books falling off a bookshelf to doors opening to seeing something in the dark that isn’t there – it’s pretty standard for a scary movie until about halfway through the film.
As an adult, I can fully say that I really enjoy the heck out of this movie and the tropes, because I think they’re done in a fun and good way. A lot of the time with a these tropes, there isn’t that much of a reason as to why it’s happening other than to be spooky and show that the house is haunted, but here in Insidious, every one has meaning to the story.
Just one example is the door. While, normally, in a regular scary house film, it would be just to show that the home is haunted. But in this film, that door opening leads directly to several plot points later in the movie, which is great.
Some Of These Jump Scares Are Campy – But Others Are Really Well Done
I’m going to be honest and say I despise jump scares. It’s a big reason why I like classic horror movies more and many other classic horror movies villains, because most of them didn’t solely rely on jump scares. Those movies were just eerie and made you squirm in your seat, while many of today’s modern horror movies rely on cheap thrills such as jump scares.
Insidious is no exception, and it does fall into the jump scare trap as most horror movies from the early 2010’s tended to (looking at you, Paranormal Activity franchise). I think the way Insidious does it is better than most, however. Do I think some jump scares are campy? Of course. The kid coming out of the small closet in Dalton's room was a terrible one that looked to scare but did nothing for me.
But, the others are pretty well done. For example – that first red demon jump scare behind Patrick Wilson’s character is iconic for a reason. Years later, even after seeing the movie, it made me jump. There are moments where this movie does truly shine.
Lin Shaye And Patrick Wilson Are Great Additions To The Horror Franchise
I’m going to say it here – Lin Shaye and Patrick Wilson are amazing in horror.
Shaye has been in plenty of horror films as a certified scream queen. She just has that ability to grab your attention in a horror movie. When I was a kid, I didn’t care for her as much, but now as an older woman, I freaking love her as Elise. She’s just the perfect counterpart to the rest of the cast.
Wilson, in both the Insidious franchise as well as The Conjuring movies, just screams, “Scream King.” He rocks it in this role. He’s not even overtly terrified for most of the film, just does a really good job accurately portraying fear and worry over time. It’s so well done.
The Explanation Of What Happened To Dalton Is Actually Really Creative
Something I seriously hate about most horror films is the explanation as to why the scary stuff is happening. There are so many that just annoy me because it’s so uncreative. A person was murdered in that house, the home was built on top of a burial ground, there’s a pet cemetery nearby – the very basic explanations for ghosts.
Insidious, however, decides to subvert those expectations and creates something I had never seen before, something I love so much now. The idea of astral projection is one that already terrifies me because it’s so out there and many people believe it's a real thing, but using it in this horror aspect, and showing how many evil spirits want access to a body without a soul – that is terrifying. It’s also scary that this power is hereditary, from father to son.
I don’t know, that’s just such a creative way to explain this story, and I have to give credit where credit is due.
I’m Sorry But The Red Demon Isn’t That Scary
This demon is so goofy.
Granted, I’m so desensitized to these things now. I grew up watching these horror movies and seeing them only get bloodier like many A24 horror movies (like the gory X). And not only that, but I watched very violent television shows too, like The Walking Dead for all eleven seasons, so there’s so much out there that has made me pretty much invincible when it comes to being scared by demons in horror movies. It takes a lot to scare me.
As a kid, I thought the red demon was so scary, and yeah, now I can see why I would think it was terrifying. At the same time, I also see how funny it looks now, almost like a half-goat, half-demon sort of creature with a long tongue. I mean, I’m pretty sure I laughed when it climbed on the wall as it was chasing Dalton, because it looked so fake. Just not my favorite horror movie ending.
However, The Ending, For A Horror Movie, Was Absolutely Perfect
That was such an amazing cliffhanger.
Again, it had been so long since I had seen the original, so I totally forgot what happened at the end. It was like a first-time watch, and I forgot how incredible the ending to this film is. We think everything is alright until Elise takes a picture of Josh, and later on, we see that the demon lady that was haunting his nightmares has taken over his body.
We only see it at the very end, though, when his wife finds the picture, and then she’s terrified of him, and suddenly the screen cuts to black and that title screen plays – damn, it made me want to watch the second film just to see what happened next, but I had other places to be!
That’s the way to do an ending. Nothing that’s too terrifying – just enough to expand the lore of the universe while also giving that little bit of a cliffhanger for fans to unravel for years until the sequel comes. It was done so well.
Insidious is honestly a lot better than I remember it being, and considering this was only the beginning of James Wan’s second horror franchise (behind Saw, of course, and before The Conjuring), it’s a pretty damn good entry.
I can see why there have been more movies, but the first is most likely the best – even so, I personally can’t wait for the next one. I need to re-watch all of them.
