Insidious

  • Review Date: March 24, 2011
  • PG-13
  • Genre: Horror
  • 2011
 Review

Common Sense Media says

Exceptionally scary flick is too intense for younger teens.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that although this horror movie is rated PG-13, it's one of the most terrifying scary movies in some time, and it's not recommended for younger teens (or anyone without a high tolerance for "jump" scenes). There's some blood, as well as some arguing and yelling, and a young boy is in jeopardy throughout the movie (he's separated from his parents, which may add to the anxiety for some kids -- even teens). But most of the horror is in the form of the stuff that nightmares are made of: darkness, shadows, and noises. It's very scary. Language is fairly light but does include one use of "f--k"; there's no sex, drugs, or drinking content of note.

  • There's a fair bit of conflict -- characters argue a great deal and are unable to agree on much. The wife wants a supernatural solution, and the more practical husband won't allow it. The problem is solved, but not entirely solved.
  • Though these people are all nice enough, they're not much in the way of role models. The wife spends the film being scared, and the husband is vain and argues and hides from his responsibilities for much of the movie. Though he eventually shows bravery, it may be too late.
  • The movie isn't violent in a gory way, though viewers do see some bloody handprints and some intense fighting; there are loud, scary noises on the soundtrack; and a young boy is in jeopardy throughout. But while it isn't graphic, the movie is very frightening, with lots of creepy, half-glimpsed figures and a scary alternate universe in which everything is dark and anything could be hiding anywhere.
  • Not applicable.
  • Language isn't constant but includes one "f--k," plus "goddamn," "hell," "bitch," "oh my God," "goddamn," and "whore."
  • One main character uses an Apple laptop.

What's the story?

The Lambert family settles into their new house, only to find that weird things are happening. Books and boxes move around, and there are weird noises coming from the attic. Before long, son Dalton (Ty Simpkins) falls into a mysterious coma, and mom Renai (Rose Byrne) starts seeing things. Dad Josh (Patrick Wilson) agrees to move them out of the seemingly haunted house, but the strange events continue. When Josh's mother (Barbara Hershey) hires a medium (Lin Shaye) to help, the medium explains that it was never the house that was haunted: It was Dalton! Now someone must make a dangerous, terrifying trip into The Further to try to rescue him ... if it's not too late.


Is it any good?

 

INSIDIOUS is director James Wan and writer/actor Leigh Whannell's third project together (after their hit Saw and its dull follow-up Dead Silence), and it's their best and most frightening film yet. Essentially, it's a retread of Poltergeist, about a haunted house that more or less "kidnaps" a child, but it has its own unique spin. It's an old tale told in a new way.

Surprisingly, after the ultra-gory Saw movies, Wan and Whannell choose here to go the old-fashioned route and rely on half-glimpsed images, darkness, shadows, and noises for their scares -- which are really more effective, anyway. And the characters are flawed in a deliberate and interesting way, resulting in some good performances. Hershey and Shaye especially get in some interesting moments.


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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about the movie's violence and terror. How did it affect you?

  • How scary is the movie? What makes it different from, and scarier than, other horror movies? Is it scarier given the fact that a young boy is in trouble?

  • Are these characters likable? Why do you think they act the way they do? Are they role models?


This review was written by Jeffrey M. Anderson
Kid, 13 years old
April 22, 2011
 
Love it. I would say too scary for children -13. May give nightmares. suprisingly only 1 person died.

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Teen, 16 years old
May 3, 2011
 
great movie!
I absolutely loved this movie im a horror freak im a girl strange as that sounds my only concern is that its very suspenseful movie and a very freaky and jumpy movie i think this would be a good movie for sleepovers !!!

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Parent of 17 year old
May 1, 2011
 
What a horror movie should be. It reminds us that we are less afraid of whats in the closet than what MIGHT be in the closet.

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Adult
April 30, 2011
 
a chilling scary movie.
Josh and Renai have a happy family with their three young children. When tragedy strikes their young son, Josh and Renai begin to experience things that science cannot explain. well wow just awsome movie. i mean this movie for sure is going to give me some nightmares. i was so much scared while watching this movie i can't tell you guys. i was watching this movie alone with no one in the house. i literally was looking here and there time by time to actually conform no ghostly prescence in my house. how can i describe this movie, it for sure is one of the best horror movie i have seen lately. it is a very low budget movie but with pretty big scares. i always support those horror movies with actually low budgets and low on silly over done visual effects but with actuall heavy duty scares and this movie did offered that. it is not gorry at all but so nerve racking and breath stoping movie that i was so glad to have actually seen it. its far better than Paranormal activity 2 and somewhat 1. i hope they do in future make movies like this. story of this movie was slightly different from other horror movies which was good, screenplay is written very well, loved it. didn't saw any weak spots in writing of this movie. no dull or empty spots in the movie. edited very good. direction was very well done. this movie if wasn't excellent but it was very good. i had an awsome time watching this movie. the end of this movie is like every other horror movies, you know what i mean. the main idea or plot was very fresh and thrilling. the scary scenes in this movie starts from very begining and you kind of get into this movie from very first. the start could have been handeled slightly better than how it was. the basic idea was that it wasn't the house that was haunted, it was basically the family member, you see that child in the picture yes but there was another family memeber that was haunted from his childhood but not gonna spoil it for you. so what i mean is that this whole concept is same as that of in Paranormal activity movies. the movie has this so spooky and scary atmospheric feeling to it that it feels like you are seeing a bad scary nightmare, and i loved it. the actors of this movie were good, it stars Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye, Barbara Hershey and others out of which Patrick was the weakest according to me. the scene where they do that exorcism kind of thing was so amazingly done that i was so shocked. it is very stylishly made with right amount of everything. background score adds much more to the already built suspence and tension. some shocking scenes. very creepy and chilling. this is a movie worth your every penny, you will enjoy it so much like i did. i thereby highly recommend it to you. loved it. brilliantly made movie. and i heared that this movie by far is the most profitable movie of this year earning much more than its so low budget, that explains everything.

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Parent of 2 year old
April 7, 2011
 
Greatest horror film in years! Not for kids under 16!
I as an adult found this movie to be an amazing horror film. There is no way I would let my kids see it! There is some brief language, no alcohol, no violence, no drugs, no sexual content, and a good bit of parental arguing. However that's not the main issue with this movie. This movie goes deep into the supernatural realm. You see a boy put into a coma, a family being 'haunted', many sadistic spirits, and a psychic. BUT still the main issue is the demonic side of this movie. There is a very frightening demon after their child that would give anyone nightmares! Just not a good movie for any kids under 16.

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Parent of 10, 12, and 15 year old
April 16, 2011
 
Perfect for tweens, teens(young and old), and adults!
I loved it. One of my 6th grade students saw it over break with her friends, and she told me how great it was. That inspired me to go see it and i am so glad I did. However the lanquage was not the best, but my rule for my kids is that it is okay if they hear a bad word as long as they know that it is not okay to use themselfs.

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Kid, 12 years old
May 25, 2011
 
Waste of my time.
I didn't watch it on the big screen, but, god this movie was stupid. There were a lot of jump scenes, but the things that jumped were so stupid! It was like 1960's horror movie, or a 2011 horror spoof!!

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Teen, 14 years old
May 28, 2011
 
Horrorfying, and too intense for younger audiences.
This movie isnt gory, but it is still one of the scariest movies ive ever seen There is a random f bomb, and other swearing throughout. Having that said it might scare kids because here is a child who falls into a coma, and is in jeopardy. There really are no positive messages but this movie is well made.

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Teen, 15 years old
April 16, 2011
 
see it with friends
the best horror movie this year,I was scare the entire movie but it was awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:)

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Teen, 15 years old
April 25, 2011
 
Only for mature teens
This movie was so scary I cried at the end of it. Enough said.

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This review was written by Jeffrey M. Anderson
Studio:FilmDistrict
Director:James Wan
Cast:Barbara Hershey, Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne
Genre:Horror
Run time:102 minutes
Theatrical release date:April 1, 2011
DVD release date:July 12, 2011
MPAA rating:PG-13
MPAA explanation:thematic material, violence, terror and frightening images, and brief strong language

This review was written by Jeffrey M. Anderson
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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