This is one that definitely needs a ½-star rating, as it falls squarely between "Fair" (6) and "Good" (7). It turned out to be better than what I was expecting, but it had far too many less-than-good moments, causing me to grade it on the lower side. The first thing I noticed is that it took a full four minutes for the opening credits to scroll past at a snail's pace, and that was kind of a harbinger of things to come. For a film that is 100 minutes in run-time (including opening and closing credits), it took almost half of that to build up to any kind of "foundation" for the second half of the film. Take my advice and watch this in two parts; you'll want to give up after the first 40 minutes or so but then when you go back to watch the second 60 minutes, you _might_ be glad you gave it a chance. It ends **much** more strongly than it begins. Open confession: I almost turned it off even before I reached that 45-minute mark simply because of the annoying, incessantly-crying baby. I mean, who wants to sit through a movie with a crying baby. (HINT: The baby had nothing to do with the rest of the story and - fortunately - didn't even play a part in the latter half of the film. Never even made an appearance, so at least there's hope.) After reading multiple reviews on here, I was expecting a real yawner of a movie and almost thought, _"Why even bother?"_ but I have to admit, the second half was much better than the first half AND much better than I was expecting. Was it predictable? In some ways, yes. Still very watchable, however...enough that I'll at least give Part 2 a try. Some have commented that the ending was predictable but maybe my brain just doesn't work quite as quickly as some folks'; the ending wasn't predictable to me, and I thought it was great. Cheesy, sure...but still good. Also unlike some other reviews on here, I didn't find very much "humor" or "lighthearted moments" here; I saw what might have been _attempts_ to lighten the atmosphere but they didn't come across as humorous or even lighthearted. That did not detract from the film, however; it just seemed to be kind of _"Where did that come from and why was that even in the script?"_ sort of thing. I've enjoyed Patrick Wilson in all the things I've seen him in but he sadly seems to have been almost pigeonholed into the "demon/spirit-chaser" role, unfortunately. Although he's always been good in that role, I hope it doesn't define his career because he seems to have more charisma and acting chops than just a Hollywood exorcist. And speaking of _Exorcist_ (which is right around the corner on my list of _The 20 Best Horror Movies Ever, According to Redditt_ ), this one ranked at the #9 spot on said list. It didn't deserve it. The more of those 20 films that I watch, the more I realize how completely useless Redditt is as any kind of viable source of information. Everyone has an opinion, and sadly, the jugheads who thought this rated as one of the top 20 best horror movies ever made...They need to return to their Pixar and Disney movies and leave the rating of horror films to those of us who really appreciate good horror. This isn't.

Tiptoe Through the Tulips.

Insidious is directed by James Wan and written by Leigh Whannell. It stars Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins, Barbara Hershey, Lin Shaye, Andrew Astor and Leigh Whannell. Music is scored by Joseph Bishara and cinematography by John R. Leonetti.

The team behind "Saw" and "Dead Silence" bring us "Insidious", one of the finest exponents of the haunted house movie in the modern era. Of course that doesn't count for much with those not particularly struck by the formula, but it does seem to be one of the very few horror sub-genre movies to come out with better than average appraisals.

Of course it's not perfect, few films, especially in horror world, can stand up and come through unscathed by critics and fans alike, yet for the like minded adults who can set the mood and channel themselves into the boo jump and creepy atmosphere world wrung out by Wan and Whannell, then this is the bomb.

Much has been made of the shift in the last third, where the film brings in Astral Projection as its reasoning for the pant soiling previously unleashed. Undeniably the film runs away with itself, goes too far and the last 15 minutes are a chaotic mess of bold ideas and inadequate staging. However, it's interesting to note how often the haunted house movie in recent times gets accused of not bringing something new to the table, something thrown at the wonderful "Woman in Black" that followed "Insidious"down the pipe. Here the makers offer up something different, true, it hasn't worked in the way they or the hardened genre fans would have liked, but personally I found on second viewing it is forgivable. It's like riding your favourite Big Dipper, you enjoy the spins and upside down scream moments, but just tolerate the flat standard drive stretches of track while your heart tries to steady its beat.

When "Insidious" is hitting its heights it's utterly thrilling and unnerving, paced to perfection, it builds from whispered voices on a baby monitor to entities invading the home of the poor Lambert family. The mystery element is strong, just what do they want? Why is son Dalton in a coma but the medical boffins have no idea why? How come the entities have followed the Lambert's even when they move house? The latter of which is refreshing to see in the screenplay, it's a logical move but so often it's not done in other horror movies. The jumps are nicely placed throughout and a number of scenes are so freaky they get under your skin and stay there for some time - seriously, I don't think I'll ever be able to listen to "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" again without my blood being chilled. The use of photographs and mirrors bring the goose flesh to the skin, while Lin Shaye's arrival as the paranormal physic, and the subsequent use of a gas mask, keep things ticking on the freaky deaky scale (though once the gas mask scene hits it's where the pic slightly falls away).

It borrows ideas and takes its tonal cues from other horror movies, definitely, and the second half doesn't live up to the promise of the first; hell I'll even concede that a certain entity is badly designed, but it does have something new to offer the formula, it's also well performed by the cast, that itself is a rarity. It hasn't resonated with all, but it was a monster hit at the box office, making nearly $85 million in profit. The market for a good haunted house spooker is always open, so Insidious, in spite of its second half irks, sits in the top draw with the best of them. 8/10

It's not wholly original, but it works because the people involved **make** it work, first and foremost, James Wan.

_Final rating:★★★½ - I really liked it. Would strongly recommend you give it your time._