Film Review: Insidious (2011)

Don’t let the PG-13 rating fool you – this is a truly scary movie.  Many times PG-13 horror flicks fail to deliver real scares and give too many cheap ones.  On the other hand, countless R-rated horror movies forget to make a genuinely creepy atmosphere or story and simply splash more blood in your face, which is especially the case in the past decade.  With this film, director James Wan and screenwriter/actor Leigh Whannell, creators of the astounding original Saw (2004), make a 180-degree turn away from the torture-porn type horror film to induce terror, which they do quite forcefully.  Despite a polarizing second-half, Insidious (2011) is genuinely frightening, expertly crafted, and boasts strong, largely credible performances, something missing from a majority of horror films.  But what makes it a cut above the rest of many in the genre is its ability to build atmospheric tension and actually scare you without cheap tricks or gore.

Like any good horror flick, the less you know about the plot before seeing it for the first time the better.  In fact, I’d advise you even not to watch the trailer so you won’t be taken out of the moment when certain plot points are revealed or tension is built-up. However, if you must view it beforehand, watch it only once.  Still, the trailer certainly does not ruin hardly any of the truly terrifying moments or scenes in the film, and there are plenty of them.  Of course, spoilers will NOT be included in this review.

Film Review: Black Swan

Darren Aronofsky has done it again. Watching any of his films is a totally draining experience. Furthermore, they polarize audiences. However, whether or not one ends up loving or hating an Aronofsky film, one cannot deny the fact that they affect the viewer. I was fortunate enough to be within driving distance of one of the 18 theaters that opened his latest film Black Swan (2010). It is a great tale about a self-destructive and insane devotion to one’s art. It is a wildly intense ride to Hell and back.