Insidious

MUST-SEE: (written by Leigh Whannell and directed by James Lee) It’s a tough thing to do these days, making a horror film that actually leaves a mark beyond the theater. We’re doing good to get a legit scare every few years, but a rare film makes it into your mind for longer than the time it takes to sleep through the night. Somehow, Aussie filmmakers and long time friends James Wan and Leigh Whannell have found a way to capture that essence, initially with their first film, 2004’s Saw, and now with a new deliverance of terror in Insidious. It’s the story of a young family, parented by Rose Byrnes and Patrick Wilson, settling into a new house with three children. Aside from the expected stress of starting over, strange things start to happen around the house. The alarm goes off in the middle of the night, stuff keeps getting moved around, their oldest son falls into an unexplained coma and strange sounds get picked up on the baby monitor. Eeriness slowly envelops both the house and the film, and you find yourself on the edge of your seat, awaiting a good jump or a deep shudder. Both come, but don’t think you’ll be able to predict it. The writer-director team aces the scare tactic, leaving you terrified to stay in your seat and anxious to get the lights back on. It’s what we’ve been waiting for in the realm of scary films, a completely unique story, one creep enough to send you home checking your surroundings and certainly leaving its mark. Don’t miss it, but don’t see this alone. Oh... and check out Insite Atlanta's online archives to see my interview with the masterminds behind the mayhem (March issue).