Ashley here,
“Insidious”. See it. With a pillow. And courage.
Directed by James Wan, the Aussie horror-hound who brought us the terrific “Saw”, the flick stars Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne as a couple who move into a rickety old house with a ‘Hell! I’m not going in there!’ attic.
Of course, someone does go in there.
Josh (Wilson) and Renai (Byrne)’s boy Dalton (Ty Simkins) falls off of a ladder in the attic and goes into a strange, medically unexplainable coma. The family continues to experience strange things in the home and Renai insists that they move. Unfortunately for the Daltons, whatever was in their last home has followed them to their new house too.
”Insidious” combines some of the best elements of horror – striking, seat jumping visuals with the psychological Johnson-tease of not knowing what’s around the corner. Writer Leigh Wannell (”Saw”) does a nice job of combining spookies with the elements of a family drama offering audiences much more than simply a forgettable but fun horror. Also, the film doesn’t suffer from the typical horror genre problem there only being other characters in the flick so that they can be killed off. The Dalton family is sympathetic, in large part due to Byrne’s portrayal of a helpless mother willing to do what it takes to help her son. The kids do a nice job too, playing their ages minus the whiny typical kid dialogue i.e. “mommy there’s something under my bed.” Andrew Astor, as Foster Lambert, stands out in particular and gives a great performance.
Also notable is the cinematography; John R. Leonetti (”Piranha 3D”) makes a non-3D movie look like it is multi-dimensional and combines modern fright elements with old timey-looking ghosts (Some of the ghosts look like they came out of a Hollywood haunted maze or an eerie photo in an antique shop).
Wan and Whannell’s ”Insidious” might just be an early contender for best fright-flick of the year. See it in the theater.
To celebrate the release of “Insidious”, FilmDistrict want to giveaway, to Moviehole’s U.S readers (please, only U.S), these 5 prize-packs :
Insidious Prize Packs.
Including :
1 INSIDIOUS Sketch Pad – Retail value $25
1 INSIDIOUS Pencil Set – Retail value $10
1 INSIDIOUS Digi Clean – Retai value $2
1 INSIDIOUS mini poster – signed by Leigh Whannell!
How to Win : Email Us your name and address. First in, best dressed!
FilmDistrict is excited to announce that INSIDIOUS sneak previews will be held tomorrow evening, March 29, in 25 cities across the country. Below we’ve included a list of cities with links for more information. Tickets can be purchased at the theaters and, where noted on the links, on Fandango.
ARIZONA
Phoenix – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=198702723494904
CALIFORNIA
Burbank – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=155830487809426
Los Angeles – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=189527481088413
Orange – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=172901549425094
COLORADO
Westminister – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=134742509931632
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Washington, DC – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=101936596557277
FLORIDA
Altamonte Springs – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=201780296512805
Tampa – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=109248582491231
GEORGIA
Atlanta – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=112930662121082
ILLINOIS
Chicago – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=155181911210226
KANSAS
Olathe – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=160572543999880
MASSACHUSETTS
Boston – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=210329655645393
Danvers – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=119220948156043
MARYLAND
Bel Air – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=101892149894638
Silver Spring – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=207790752579917
MINNESOTA
Roseville – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=202344286456531
NEW JERSEY
Garden City – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=162615247126379
Parmus – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=150438548352893
NEW YORK
New York – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=201077506580070
OHIO
Columbus – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=172264472825161
PENNSYLVANIA
Homestead – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=138751562860298
TENNESSEE
Memphis – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=203238813027316
TEXAS
Dallas – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=198373320196034
WASHINGTON
Lynwood – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=198863613470415
Tukwila – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=198889906809126