Insidious

Insidious [in-sid-ee-uhs] adjective
1. intended to entrap or beguile: an insidious plan.
2. stealthily treacherous or deceitful: an insidious enemy.
3. operating or proceeding in an inconspicuous or seemingly harmless way but actually with grave effect: an insidious disease.

We all know director James Wan and screenwriter Leigh Whannell from the Saw franchise. The movie series that does the same thing over and over again, movie after movie. Granted I gave up during part IV but I'm guessing the rest are much of a muchness. Adding to the group is producer Oren Peli who brought us Paranormal Activity (which I liked) and the eerily similar Paranormal Activity 2 (which I didn't like so much). So already there's a theme of sameness going on here... will the film be the same as these other films?

Short answer is, yes.

Long answer is thus...

Teacher and loving husband Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson - Morning Glory) and stay-at-home-musician-wife Renai (Rose Byrne - Get Him to the Greek) have two boys, Dalton (Ty Simpkins - Revolutionary Road) and Foster (Andrew Astor - The Hangover) who have somehow managed to dodge the award for 'Worst Named Children Ever'.

After playing in the attic of their new home, Dalton falls two feet off a ladder and into a coma. Then, bad things happen...

Renai, Renai, home all day, starts seeing things and hearing noises - the usual bumps 'n' shit. She sees people in the house who aren't really there.

*gasp*

BTW, Dalton's doctors have no idea why he is in a coma and no idea when he will get out. Bad doctors.

Renai, sick of the bumps 'n' shit talks Josh in to moving house. So they do. But things start happening there too. What a waste of packing boxes.

Like every other haunted house film, Renai calls in a specialist. Elise (Lin Shaye - Snakes on a Plane) brings along two assistants and some much needed comic relief in the form of, 'Specs' (Leigh Whannell - Saw) and Tucker (Aussie Angus Sampson - I Love You Too). The two go all Ghostfacers on the house with gizmos and gadgets. 

Turns out Dalton is in a place called The Further, a place where people go when they are astral travelling. But, Dalton is stuck and needs help finding his way home. Cue sub-plot...

Yeesh. No wonder there are so many parodies of horror films. They are all the same after a while. Granted, The Further thing is new - a variation on a theme perhaps but astral travelling? Really? Better stock up on rose quartz...

I have no idea why Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson are in this film, they are good actors - WWWHHHYYYYYY????
The usual formulaic formulars are in place to (try to) make you jump out of your chair. If anything, the makeup was well done on the ghosty people. 

Things I learnt: how can a muso and a teacher afford those mortgages? THAT is why the GFC happened; don't trust anyone who has never had their photo taken; go towards the light Carol Anne.

Anyone who says this is good has been possessed by a demon with crap taste in films.

Three out of ten.