Insidious (2011)

March 31, 2011 (CA) • Horror, Thriller • 102m

Overview

A family discovers that dark spirits have invaded their home after their son inexplicably falls into an endless sleep. When they reach out to a professional for help, they learn things are a lot more personal than they thought.

Director

James Wan

Writer

Leigh Whannell

Top Billed

Patrick Wilson

Keywords

supernatural medium haunted house evil spirit house warming demon new home aftercreditsstinger other dimension insidious supernatural power supernatural horror horror distressing horrified possessed child

Where to watch

Free / Included

HBO Max Amazon Channel

Rent

Buy

Top Billed Cast

Patrick Wilson

Josh Lambert

Rose Byrne

Renai Lambert

Lin Shaye

Elise Rainier

Ty Simpkins

Dalton Lambert

Barbara Hershey

Lorraine Lambert

Leigh Whannell

Specs

Angus Sampson

Tucker

Andrew Astor

Foster Lambert

Corbett Tuck

Nurse Adele / Doll Girl #2

Heather Tocquigny

Nurse Kelly

Ruben Pla

Dr. Sercarz

John Henry Binder

Father Martin

Joseph Bishara

Lipstick-Face Demon

Philip Friedman

Old Woman

J. LaRose

Long Haired Fiend

Kelly Devoto

Doll Girl #1

Crew

James Wan

Director

Leigh Whannell

Writer

Oren Peli

Producer

Steven Schneider

Producer

Brian Kavanaugh-Jones

Executive Producer

Joseph Bishara

Original Music Composer

David M. Brewer

Director of Photography

John R. Leonetti

Director of Photography

Anne McCarthy

Casting

Aaron Becker

Title Designer

Aaron Sims

Production Design

Jeanette Volturno

Line Producer

John R. Leonetti

Co-Producer

Aaron Sims

Co-Producer

Rick Osako

Unit Production Manager

Albert Cho

First Assistant Director

Jeff Bilger

Second Assistant Director

Joel Kramer

Stunt Coordinator

Danny Downey

Stunts

Sandra Lee Gimpel

Stunts

Samuel Reynolds

Stunts

Katina Waters

Stunts

Justin T. Woods

Stunts

Dennis Alaniz

Additional Editor

Jennifer Spence

Art Direction

Thomas Spence

Co-Art Director

Renetta G. Amador

Script Supervisor

Laura Altmann

Production Coordinator

Michael A. Galasso

Production Coordinator

Larissa Grudt

Set Production Assistant

Matt Donaldson

Property Master

Richard Roraback

Leadman

Niko Hovartos

On Set Dresser

Dan Reilly

Key Grip

Tony Lopez-Cepero

Dolly Grip

Tim Marshall

Chief Lighting Technician

Wayne Marshall

Assistant Chief Lighting Technician

Shermagne Umali

Lighting Technician

Tim Stratton

Lighting Technician

Mark Meyers

Steadicam Operator

Megan Stark Evans

Costumer

Yeşim "Shimmy" Osman

Hair Department Head

Eleanor Sabaduquia

Makeup Department Head

Liz Mendoza

Makeup Artist

Rocky Faulkner

Makeup Artist

Mandi Ann Ruiz

Makeup Artist

Nikki Carbonetta

Makeup Artist

Zsolt Magyar

Sound Mixer

Tim D. Lloyd

Boom Operator

Zach Wrobel

Boom Operator

Bart Dion

Special Effects Coordinator

David Thornsberry

Location Manager

James G. Brill

Transportation Coordinator

Jason Messersmith

Transportation Captain

Dennis Alaniz

First Assistant Editor

James K. Jensen

Post Production Supervisor

Joe Dzuban

Sound Re-Recording Mixer

Joe Dzuban

Supervising Sound Editor

Paul Seradarian

Sound Editor

Craig Mann

Sound Re-Recording Mixer

John Sievert

Foley Artist

Stefan Fraticelli

Foley Artist

Randy Wilson

Foley Recordist

Kevin Schultz

Foley Recordist

Michael Janov

Visual Effects Supervisor

Gordon T. Wittmann

Visual Effects Producer

Michael Lester

CG Supervisor

Heath Kraynak

Compositor

Stephen DeLuca

Compositor

Scott Ronnow

First Assistant Camera

Paul Santoni

First Assistant Camera

Kevin Huver

Second Assistant Camera

Greg Kurtz

Second Assistant Camera

Alex Scott

Second Assistant Camera

Jason Blum

Producer

Barbara Harris

ADR Voice Casting

Laura Cresswell

Key Costumer

Anthony Tran

Costume Design

Hannah Greene

Costume Design

Sami Martin Sarmiento

Costume Design

Sarah Schuessler

Costume Design

Mark Griffith

Digital Intermediate

Chelsea Kammeyer

Assistant Editor

Jose Parra

Digital Intermediate Producer

Bill Schultz

Digital Intermediate

Bob Semmer

Digital Intermediate

George Chavez

Color Timer

Richard A. Eisenstein

Post Production Technical Engineer

Dan Muscarella

Color Timer

Jenna Kaye Thornsberry

Assistant Location Manager

Kristin M. Burke

Costume Design

James Wan

Editor

Kirk M. Morri

Editor

Kellie Roy

Casting

Collection

Insidious Collection

Insidious: Chapter 2

Insidious

Insidious: Chapter 3

Insidious: The Last Key

Insidious: The Red Door

Insidious: Out of the Further

Thread: An Insidious Tale

Reviews

Gimly

⭐ 7/10

October 2, 2018

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._

John Chard

⭐ 8/10

November 1, 2019

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

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Status

Released

Original Language

Budget

$1,500,000

Revenue

$100,106,454

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Insidious (2011)

Where to watch

Top Billed Cast

Crew

Collection

Insidious Collection

Insidious: Chapter 2

Insidious

Insidious: Chapter 3

Insidious: The Last Key

Insidious: The Red Door

Insidious: Out of the Further

Thread: An Insidious Tale

Reviews

Gimly

John Chard

Recommended Movies

Obsession

Lee Cronin's The Mummy

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle

The Ogre's Bride

Status

Original Language

Budget

Revenue

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