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Review: Insidious

 Campy haunted-house knockoff
By PETER KEOUGH  |  March 31, 2011
1.5 1.5 Stars

When young Dalton (Ty Simpkins) mysteriously falls into a coma, a doctor tells his parents Renai (Rose Byrne) and Josh (Patrick Wilson) that he's "never seen anything like it." The same can't be said about this campy haunted-house knockoff from writer Leigh Whannell and director James Wan. Understandably weary of cannibalizations of their Saw property in repeated sequels, they've moved on to stealing ideas from other sources ranging from ParanormalActivity to the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. In a tip of the hat to Poltergeist, a kooky spook specialist (Lin Shaye) is called in when the family's medical problems are compounded by signs of demonic possession. By that point, not even an appearance by Barbara Hershey can save the day, and if the audience I watched this with is any indication, laughter will be drowning out the creaks, atonal chords, and snatches of Tiny Tim's "Tiptoe through the Tulips" that are meant to scare you on the soundtrack.

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  Topics: Reviews , Movies, review, Rose Byrne,  More more >
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