Insidious, starring Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne and Barbara Hershey and directed by James Wan, tells the story of the Lambert family, who after moving into their new house, start discovering strange things happening in and around the house which only escalate after their son Dalton falls into an unexplained coma.

From here, the film fully delves into the supernatural, jumping from haunted houses, possession, astral projection and alternate universal planes, making the film more akin to Paranormal Activity’s supernatural horror elements rather than Saw’s torture porn. Some of these elements are effective (scary zombie children!), some not so much (the film’s big bad demon which looks like a cheap version of Darth Maul).

The film delivers jumps with vigour (who isn’t terrified of creepy house noises?) but I did have an issue with the lack of connection I felt with the characters. The acting is top notch, but I just couldn’t warm to anyone. Blame it on my stone cold heart, but I really didn’t care about the poor soulless child in a coma, or his family. For most modern “horror” films, character connection is secondary to the gory death, but for a film like Insidious, caring about the characters is important, and is probably why I found the film’s last act, set in the alternate dream reality called “the Further”, so slow.

Aside from the flimsy dream reality of “the Further” and the Darth Maul-esque demon big bad, Insidious is generally a good film filled with great scares and an engaging plot. Even though the film does drag a little in the last act, fans of the genre and those looking for a good fright should check it out.

Insidious is in cinemas now. Check out the trailer below.