Like it or not, James Wan and Leigh Wannell (along with Eli Roth), are directly responsible for starting the recent Torture Porn craze with their rather impressive debut: Saw. Since then, they've been fairly quiet, with only two little seen movies (Dead Silence & Death Sentence) being released back to back in 2007. I am delighted to see the pair work with a bigger canvas this time as well a securing a wide release, as, for all its flaws, Insidious is the polar opposite of Saw: a tight, bloodless ghost story that focuses on getting under your skin rather than making you sick.
It borrows heavily from every other haunted house film before it, but that doesn't dilute the experience. There a jump scares aplenty but what surprised me was the duo's ability to pull off subtlety. They realise the less-is-more aesthetic is often the most effective. They do wonders with the little scares, wringing fear out of small events such as hand prints appearing on the window or noticing a ghostly old woman stood in the background when a character flicks through old photos, as well as bowing to the well timed, crowd pleasing BOO moments.
It's just nice to know the guys behind Saw can tackle a good old fashioned ghost story. I liken the experience to riding a ghost train: a bit silly at times but it succeeds in giving you Goosebumps.
3.5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment