INSIDIOUS

Over the years, I’ve seen literally hundreds of “haunted house”-themed horror films. Many were lackluster (Paranormal Activity), many were decent (The Amityville Horror), and many were actually quite good (Burnt Offerings). Regardless of how good and/or original they were, they always managed to pale in comparison to the seminal ghost film, Poltergeist – that is until I saw Insidious.

This tense, believable and well-researched horror film may have de-throned the Steven Spielberg-produced/Tobe Hooper-directed fright flick as the “greatest haunted house film”. A very impressive feat considering that its creators James Wan & Leigh Whannell (the talented creators of Saw and the criminally overlooked Dead Silence) managed to outdo one of the classics of modern day cinema widely considered to be one of the very best horror movies ever made.

Right from the beginning, Insidious grabs you with its depiction of typical American life. A family goes about their normal daily routine as odd things slowly begin to unfold one-by-one. A fall at home lands their young son in what appears to be a state of coma. Heartbroken, the close-knit family presses on. A series of unexplained events transpires and, when the frequency and intensity of these begin to escalate, the family decides to move. However, that is only the beginning of their problems as they soon realize that their son is not in a coma but, rather, has the ability to astral project (in essence, a sleepwalking spirit) and may have gone too far – opening the door for demons and evil spirits who are hell bent on destroying the entire family.

VERY scary, extremely entertaining, and relentlessly paced throughout, Insidious is a phenomenal movie which I cannot recommend highly enough. I NEVER jump or get unnerved during horror movies, but Insidious got to me. There are several moments that actually gave me some serious goosebumps and I was kept on edge through the entire film. For those that think the horror genre is dead or running out of fresh ideas, see Insidious. It will change your view of current horror movies – and, quite possibly, make you a believer in the paranormal. One of the greatest horror films in recent memory.

My Score: 10 out of 10

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PARANORMAL ACTIVITY

For several consecutive years, Lionsgate ruled the Halloween box office with a new installment of their biggest "go-to" money maker, Saw. Like clockwork, another sequel was released to bad reviews and eager audiences - easily making the Saw franchise the unchallenged box-office champion of the Halloween season.

This got the attention of Paramount Pictures.

Wanting their piece of the Halloween pie, they decided to gamble on a small, independent "ghost story" feature they acquired to see if they might strike a chord with audiences by playing on the interest of the public's obsession with anything paranormal. On Halloween 2009, Paranormal Activity opened to strong numbers at #1 over Saw VI, the lowest-grossing installment for the franchise to date, toppling the now-aging franchise from its top-spot Halloween stronghold. An effective marketing campaign and (mostly) stellar reviews helped it rake in nearly $200 million dollars - not bad for a movie that was reported to have cost $15,000 to make.

For those that have not seen the film, the simple story centers around Katie and Micah - a young couple who start experiencing strange, unexplained goings-on in their home. Believing their house to be haunted, they set up cameras in an attempt to document the activity.
Unfortunately, the scariest thing about Paranormal Activity is that it is one of Paramount Picture's most successful film to date.

This poor excuse for a horror movie suffers from one of the most damaging qualities of film; it is extremely boring and dull. While credit has to be given to the amateur filmmakers for trying to give it a valiant effort (the performances are good, the story has potential and there are a couple of decent scenes sprinkled throughout), Paranormal Activity suffers from a disjointed focus and an awful, contrived ending that feels out of place with the rest of the movie - added, no doubt, to leave the door open for PA2.

Due to the fact that practically everyone in America has already seen this film, I actually recommend the uninitiated to check it out - but set your expectations very low. It doesn't even come close to living up to its hype.

My Rating - 3 out of 10

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