What Do The Critics Say?

"I can’t help but recall Eddie Murphy’s standup bit in which he suggested: this is decades ago now; that when a scary voice in your haunted house tells you to "Gettttt outtttt!" the best thing to do is leave. The fun and the charm of this simultaneously old-fashioned and newfangled spookhouse flick is in waiting to see where it takes you. Perhaps the greatest play on my expectations is that I didn’t expect anything like this from the Saw guys. Here’s hoping they will continue to surprise us so well in the future." MaryAnn Johanson FLICK FILOSOPHER "This is a good ol' fashioned haunting, one with a tangible atmosphere, strong performances and plenty of skin-crawling scares. There's an added bonus: It actually features honest to goodness acting. It’s far from perfect, but this is the best horror film of the year so far." Anders Wotzke CUT PRINT REVIEW "For me, the haunted house-styled ending is the film’s cleverest move. This climax scene takes place in a realm called The Further, The Beyond, or The Unknown – it hardly matters. Insidious’s” shock images, on their own, are downright goofy, but the speed of their appearance makes them into horror that’s fun and, somehow, innocent. It's a case of tribute working to the top of its game. It's horror film trickery that immerses us, once again. " Matthew Sorrento FILM THREAT

"The moment Insidious opens with a dramatic score and opening titles heavily themed in red, white and black you know it will have respect for the more traditional forms of haunted house horror movies. A good thrill ride for younger audiences not familiar with the likes of Poltergiest or Wan's favourite 1991 TV movie The Haunted. This time, Saw director James Wan thankfully takes the middle ground where the idea that bad things might happen is what gets under our increasingly prickling skin." Graham Young BIRMINGHAM MAIL "From the producers of Paranormal Activity. This time there are children involved: the couple have three, including oldest son Dalton who falls into an unexplained coma after rumaging about in the attic. Director James Wan (Saw) conjures up a nightmarish quality that I found difficult to shake off." Henry Fitzherbert DAILY EXPRESS "Soon enough the creaking doors and rattling furnaces lead to something more overtly sinister, but even then Insidious turns out to be a lot smarter than your average haunted house shocker. It's intelligent, it's well-paced, it's packed with both unsettling scenes and pop-up shocks that never feel cheap. Instead of putting their foot down and going full-bore with the frights though, we get a string of scenes that show just a normal family living normal lives: which makes things all the creepier." Anthony Morris THE VINE

The Story Behind The Making Of Insidious Tell us about your inspiration and what influenced you in developing the idea and story behind "Insidious". "I'm a big fan of ghost stories and haunted house movies. Ever since I've known Leigh, we would exchange ghostly scenarios to try and scare each other, or inspire one another to come up with scary scenes. A haunted house movie was beckoning to me and so I approached Leigh and asked him if we could do one that would twist the conventions and we came up with something that we were both super excited about. It starts out as a traditional haunted house/ghost story and then spirals into something completely different. That seems to be the Wan/Whannell trademark," James Wan revealed. "While throwing around some ideas one afternoon, James and I started talking about astral projection. We hadn’t seen it touched on in a film before. The combination of hitting upon something that felt new and our ambition to make one of the most terrifying films ever suddenly smashed together. We knew we had something," Leigh Whannell recalls. And then you hooked up with Steven Schneider and Jason Blum? "It was just perfect timing to meet up with Steven Schneider and Jason Blum around then and have them ask if we had any ideas. The answer was a very loud 'yes', and we pitched it to them. Luckily they loved it and we went from there." This project is quite a departure from the SAW franchise. What did you do different to prepare for the filming? "I knew I didn't want to make a blood and guts horror movie (as I want to prove to people that I can do more than just that), so I really concentrated on elements that were scary and creepy, but that didn't rely on gore. So I watched a lot of older black and white movies that were creepy with an unsettling tone, such as Carnival of Souls and The Innocents, and studied old black and white photographies," says James. Leigh says he "didn’t really prepare any differently for the script-writing stage than I do on any other script. I wanted to make sure the characters were real people that the audience could recognize, so that when the terror starts for them the audience feels as if it is happening to them. I went back and watched critically acclaimed horror films like "The Exorcist" and I tried to ascertain what set them apart from the pack." So, what did you conclude from that? "I came to the conclusion that the set-up of the characters played like a really strong drama and was just as involving as the scenes involving supernatural heebie-jeebies. So I made it my mission to create rich, real characters to hang the horror on." "Insidious" is a complete departure from the "Saw" franchise, how did you find working on something new. "We decided to draw from supernatural stories that have happened to us personally, and our friend and families. So technically, I can say "Insidious" is based on true events," James notes. "Pretty much all the really creepy stuff in the film is drawn from experiences around us and they're stories that would send chills up your spine." And your aim there-fore was? I want "Insidious" to be this generation's "Poltergeist". Without giving too much away, do you guys have a favorite scene or a particular scene that stands out in your mind when you were shooting the film? "I love the scene where husband and wife are in bed talking late at night, when they hear a loud banging at the front door. The house alarm goes off, and Patrick goes to check and sees that the front door is wide opened! That was based on a real incident that I experienced, " James says. And how about you, Leigh? "I remember the séance scene the most: just because that was the one scene from the script that I was a bit jumpy about. There are some fairly outlandish elements in it, so I wondered how James would pull it off. Somehow he did!" You cast Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne in the lead roles. What was the thinking behind this, James? "I wanted great actors that felt real, and I got that in Rose and Patrick. I think their performances help to ground the film in reality. When their son falls into a coma, you really feel their anguish and pain. I cannot speak highly enough of these two. They knew going into it that this movie wasn't a payday-gig, but they did it because it was a passion project. They loved the script and brought their A-game to the film." Rose is Australian and Patrick Wilson, well he was terrfic in "Little Children". Did these factors influence you, Leigh "because they are both known for doing strong drama and are not typically associated with genre fare. They are such strong actors that you instantly believe that this is a real family. The fact that Rose is Australian, of course, was a big thing for both James and I. We’ve known her work for a long time and have always wanted to work with her. Patrick is in one of my favorite films, "Little Children", and he is exactly how I pictured Josh to be when I was writing." Now the big one. You got to work with the producers of "Paranormal Activity". How good was that for you James? "One word: Awesome. I love those guys. Totally supportive, and trusted me whole-heartedly. And gave me some great ideas too." Tell the fans what happened when you met the guys, Leigh. "James and I instantly starting geeking out with them about all the horror films we love and we had this long, very animated conversation about how terrifying David Lynch films are and how he never gets recognized as a great horror director! So we bonded over our shared love of Lynch. We decided right then and there that we wanted to make a film with them, and ever since that day they have been nothing but supportive and collaborative. Everything you want producers to be." I guess the next question would have to be, what were the films that influenced you in your formative years, starting with you James. "The first horror movie I saw was "Poltergeist" and it scarred me for life. And then as I grew up, I got to really appreciate "The Exorcist". Someone described "Insidious" as "Poltergeist" meets "The Exorcist" on acid. I'll take that." What about you Leigh? I would have to say that Jaws" was the film that had the most impact on me when I was younger: I was so scared of it that I refused to sleep under my sheets at night because I thought the shark could somehow swim up and bite me. It seeped into my brain like a nightmarish worm and played on a fear that we all have: being eaten alive by a creature below us. As I got older, I discovered films like "The Shining", "The Exorcist" and "The Thing", and became obsessed with films that created a sense of true dread. Though I read Fangoria and loved "The Evil Dead", I was always more desperate to see horror films that scared me, rather than simply shocked me with gory prosthetics." And once people have seen "Insidious", what do you hope they'll take away with them, James? "I want them to enjoy it for what it is: a creepy old fashion chiller that pays loving homage to the movies we grew up with and love." "Leigh? "To put it simply, the most important thing to me is that our fans walk away with the feeling that they have just had the crap scared out of them!" Patrick Wilson is a critically acclaimed and an award-winning theatre actor who has quickly become well-known for his body of work. Never one to sit still, he was recently seen in "The A Team", "The Switch" opposite Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman, the independent comedy "Barry Munday" and "Morning Glory" with Harrison Ford, Dianne Keaton and Rachel McAdams. He recently wrapped "The Ledge", a thriller set to be released in 2011. Wilson (who has a B.F.A. in Drama from Carnegie-Mellon University) received wide praise for his work in the critically acclaimed drama "Little Children" (2006), in which he played Brad Adamson, starring with Kate Winslet and Jackie Earle Haley under the direction of Todd Field. He was rewarded with the Young Hollywood Award for Male Breakthrough Performance. His motion picture work also includes films "Evening" (playing Harris Arden); "Lakeview Terrace"; "Passengers"; "Life in Flight"; "Purple Violets"; "Hard Candy"; "The Phantom of the Opera" and "The Alamo". Wilson has been honored with two consecutive Tony Award nominations for Best Actor in a Musical, the most recent coming for his performance as Curly in the successful 2002 Broadway revival of "Oklahoma!", for which he also also received a Drama Desk Award nomination. He earned his first Tony nomination for his work in the 2001 Broadway hit "The Full Monty", for which he won a Drama League Award. Rose Byrne has established herself as a rising star of the big screen. Born in Sydney, Australia, her break came in 1994 when as a 15 years old she was cast as Rastus Sommers in "Dallas Doll". Byrne commands the attention of filmgoers and television viewers with her beauty, talent, versatility and poise. She will next be seen in "Bridesmaids" with Kristin Wiig (it opens June 9th 2011). Most recently, Byrne was seen in Judd Apatow’s "Get Him to the Greek". Illustrating her inimitable range and versatility, Byrne co-starred alongside Nicolas Cage in the mega-thriller "Knowing". The film was released by Summit Entertainment on March 20th 2009 and came in number one at the box office on its opening weekend. Byrne’s fame in Australia began with her role in the gritty crime comedy "Two Hands" in which she starred with the late, Heath Ledger. She went on to star in Clara Law’s "The Goddess of 1967" for which she was awarded the 2000 Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival. Her other film credits include: "Adam", "28 Weeks Later", Danny Boyle’s "Sunshine", "I Capture the Castle" with Bill Nighy, "The Dead Girl" and, Wolfgang Peterson’s epic "Troy" opposite Brad Pitt. Byrne will next be seen playing Dr Moira MacTaggert in "X-Men: First Class" which opens in Australia on June 2nd 2011. Barbara Hershey, started her career as Stacey Iverson in "With Six You Get Eggroll" and has since showcased her talent in some of Hollywood's most memorable films, television movies, miniseries and series. Hershey, winner of an Emmy and Golden Globe Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Special for "A Killing in a Small Town" also garnered unprecedented back to back Best Actress Awards at the Cannes Film Festival for her performances in "Shy People" and "A World Apart". In December 2009, Hershey co-starred as the iconic 'Mrs Hubbard' in the new film adaptation of Agatha Christie’s "Murder on the Orient Express". Hershey most recently co-starred in Darren Aronofsky’s much anticipated "Black Swan", with Natalie Portman, who would go on to win the best actress Oscar®. What's It All About?

The Lambert's have just moved into their new home. It's a busy time for Renai: unpacking, looking after their three children, while her husband Josh is at work. At first Renai can’t understand why things move around in her new home, why the baby monitor suddenly starts whispering evil nothings to her or how her sheet music got from the bottom floor to the attic. Then her adventurous son, Dalton, ventures up into the creepy old attic, falls off a rickety old ladder and doesn’t wake up the next morning. The doctors are baffled and so is her husband, Josh. They must find the reason why their child is comatosed, and quick. But they don’t have too long to wait for answers when paranormal activity kicks off in the house, and someone keeps making bloody paw prints on Dalton’s sheets. It seems evil spirits are trapping him in a realm called The Further, and they must rescue him before it’s too late.

The Verdict "At last!! A horror flick that entertains in the best tradition of the genre. Hate to admit it, but here goes: "Insidious" is the real deal. There were times when (and I'm not just saying this), my skin crawled and I could feel the hair on the back of my neck stand-up. There were also deliberate moments, thanks to clever scripting and having cast members who fitted the bill, both I and the audience couldn't help but laugh out loud. Whew! It wasn't so scary after all. Don't you believe it. One thing I must put forward straight away is this: the film was put together by Leigh Whannell and James Wan of "SAW" fame and "Paranormal Activity" producers Jason Blum, Oren Peli and Steven Schneider. But don't let that get in the way of making a judgement call. I have been giving the guys behind "SAW" a roasting: daring them to make something smarter; fresh and widely appealing. But, credit where credit is due: this was worth the wait. Good cast (anchored by the performances of Byrne and Wilson). Good effects. Some wickedly funny 'geek' moments. Good storyline. And yes, it's definitley scary, creepy and decidely chilling. SOLID 3 1/2 STARS." Who Is Playing Who?

Rose Byrne Patrick Wilson Ty Simpkins Andrew Astor Lin Shaye Leigh Whannell Angus Sampson Barbara Hershey Corbett Tuck Heather Tocquigny Ruben Pla John Henry Binder Joseph Bishara Philip Friedman J. LaRose Kelly Devoto Caslin Katsaros Jeannette Sousa

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Renai Josh Dalton Foster Elise Rainier Specs Tucker Lorraine Lambert Nurse Adelle/Doll Girl #2 Nurse Kelly Dr Sercarz Father Martin Lipstick-Face Demon Old Woman Long Haired Fiend Doll Girl #1 Contortionist/Ghoul Dr Thimble

The Production Team Directed by James Wan Written by Leigh Whannell Produced by Jason Blum/Oren Peli/Steven Schneider Original Music by Joseph Bishara Directors of photography David M Brewer & John R Leonetti Film Editing by Kirk M Morri & James Wan Casting by Anne McCarthy Production Design by Aaron Sims Art Direction by Jennifer Spence & Thomas Spence Run Time 103 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2011 - Icon Film Distribution - All Rights Reserved ©1999-2011 - The Movie Pages & Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved. Protected by Australian & International Copyright, Trademark Laws & Intellectual Property Rights.