The story of a family who shortly after moving discover that evil spirits have possessed their home and that their son has inexplicably fallen into a coma. Trying to escape the haunting and save their son, they move again only to discover that it was not their house that was haunted.

Let’s face it.  The creepy kid sub-genre of the horror/thriller milieu is exhausted.  It’s been mined for seemingly dozens of misguided fright-fest creations, and it’s typically hit or miss on whether or not the overall film succeeds.  (It usually rests solely on the skills of the cast and crew at selling it.)  Luckily for Insidious, it doesn’t feel entirely like a retread.  Thanks to Sam Raimi’s efforts in 2009′s future masterpiece Drag Me To Hell, it’s officially become cool again to play to scary movie cliches – with one stipulation:  you have to play to them so hard as to read like a throwback instead of a crutch.  The screechy violins and plucking piano strings that make up the score to Insidious are certainly dominant in creating built-in frights.  But reminiscent of The Shining, the quick-cut editing and the total embrace of the largely typical “gotcha!” backing music doesn’t feel tired due to the intriguing and intricate plotting and cinematography.

Speaking of the camera work, it’s very evident that Paranormal Activity director Oren Peli had a hand in this movie — he produced the film.  The duration is rife with handycam moments and visual frights that rely on the unseen.  In fact, it felt throughout a lot like a higher-budgeted Paranormal Activity.  But the heaviest hand in the production staff is clearly Saw‘s James Wan in the director’s chair.  Along with a clever blink-and-you’ll-miss-it homage to his most noted creation, the feelings of claustrophobia and being trapped in a room, or in this case, a creepily large and winding house, came right from the Wan playbook.

Now, Insidious is not a perfect horror movie by any means.  Considering the pedigree that comes with the film’s stars, it’s a bit of a surprise that disturbed parents Renai and Josh are oftentimes dully played by Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson.  When Byrne’s character begins to hear creepy sounds in the house, her suspicions rise until an accident leaves the couple’s oldest son in a seeming coma.  But the floorboard creaking and disturbing voices only become clearer once the boy has lapsed into his slumberous state.  They eventually seek the counsel of a paranormal expert (There’s Something About Mary‘s Lin Shaye, who’s actually rather good) when Renai starts to see things.

Byrne is an able enough actress, so it’s disappointing to see her play the ho-hum, gloomy card so often in Insidious.  Sure, a mom who’s fearing for the life of her young son has every right to be down in the dumps, but Byrne’s down-turned mouth and relentless melancholia drags in many early scenes.  Wilson’s biggest trouble in tackling his character is his unmaskable charm.  We’re used to seeing him play “prom king” types (a la Little Children), and he doesn’t quite shake that mold here, though the script surely calls for it in portions.

But thanks to Shaye’s powerful monologue and the brief role of Josh’s mother (played by the suddenly visible Barbara Hershey), the cast is lifted from its weak points.  And the visual and aural spectacle that’s going on is the true star.  Without saying too much, I can assure you that if you thought or didn’t think that Tiny Tim’s “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” was unnerving before, you certainly will after seeing Insidious.  It’s used to a harrowing effect in some of the most demented scenes I’ve seen in films of recent memory.

Conceptually speaking, Insidious is well-paced and has a tight supernatural script.  It’s a total visual success thanks to its cinematography team of David M. Brewer and John R. Leonetti and its lightly but effectively used makeup and effects.  (There’s something to be said for not equating “good visual effects” with “lots of visual effects.)  And where the cast lacks, the production value and truly frightening jolts more than make up for.

B+

Despite having some sporadic scares and rather effective performances, Insidious feels like a B-movie that’s destined for the “5 dollar cart” at Wal-Mart. I think my opinion comes from the laughable scenes that ensue from the lackluster and senseless plot. This shouldn’t come off as too much of a shock considering director James Wan’s past efforts include Dead Sentence and Saw III. Just like his past films, I felt Insidious had some good ideas, just never fully drawn out properly. The film raises questions about dreams, the afterlife, and how our soul comes and goes. But no answers are really given, perhaps because no true answers exist?

Still, let me paint you a picture: a happy family is moving into a brand new house. However after some wild antics occur, Dalton, the oldest kid of the family, hits his head hard on the floor and from then on appears to be in a coma-like state (but doctors say he’s not). That’s where the premise gets interesting. The parents played by Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne are frustrated: the doctors don’t know what to do, their previously golden son is now trapped in God knows where, and the house, as of late, appears to be haunted with spirits.

As the film transcends into the second act, we figure out that Dalton is still alive but his spirit is no longer with us. However, one of the spirits trying to take over Dalton’s body is evil and its sole purpose is to cause harm to his family. So with all of the pain and fright the family is going through, they hire an “expert” on the subjective matter of dream/spirit roaming. Most are done very well, however there are at least two or three scenes that are funnier than most comedies out in theaters right now.

While the film eventually settles down, and goes into the third act where mishap and ridiculous situations are bound to occur, I started to lose interest. Insidious is just one of those films that just sits there. The plot isn’t all that involving, the characters are drastically underdeveloped, and the plot makes Sucker Punch look like a coherent masterpiece.

What I did appreciate about the movie is the way it attempts to scare audiences not by gory, bloody effects, but deserved, and haunting images. Some of that works, though most of it comes off as just plain silly. On the flip side I felt the ending of the picture is a total cop out and is, in all honesty, just a pathetic marketing ploy. When it’s all said and done, Insidious is B-version horror flick with a very intriguing premise that’s executed in a lackluster manner. This is also one of the ugliest photographed pictures I’ve seen in a long, long time. Horror buffs out there, stay clear of Insidious. Everyone else? Well, I suspect you won’t be seeing it anyways.

D+

✭1/2/✭✭✭✭

You can get all my reviews at http://dukeandthemovies.com and follow me on twitter @DukeSensation

Notes: Rated PG-13 for thematic material, violence, terror and frightening images, and brief strong language.