INSIDIOUS (2011)

PLOT

A family is at the mercy of menacing spirits who become hellbent on attaining the body of little Dalton's soul as it's caught in limbo

REVIEW

James Wan and Leigh Whannell, the masterminds behind the sleeper-hit SAW, play with ghosts once again after 2007's DEAD SILENCE with the extraordinary and greatly refreshing INSIDIOUS. Released in 2011, INSIDIOUS is a ghost tale that I absolutely loved and is one of the best Horror flicks I've seen in a long long time

INSIDIOUS features the Lambert Family moving into their cozy new digs, a nice looking home fit for the loving pair and their trio of children. Before they can even start to settle in, strange activity interrupts in the slightest most subtle way possible with a pack of books inexplicably falling off of a book shelf, the beginning of a nightmare that becomes far far worse. Their ghostly raw deal gets more dire when little Dalton fails to wake up one morning as a result of becoming mysteriously comatose, with no answer as to why or how. If that wasn't bad enough the continuous paranormal activity takes it's toll on Renai and she pleads with Josh to move away from the house in hopes of leaving it all behind, which they do, finally packing up and heading elsewhere to yet another domicile

It does not work, in fact, the spectral activity reveals itself more and more and proves to be a far bigger aggressor than previously thought

INSIDIOUS is driven by  feelings of hopelessness, as well as a great deal of sympathy for the Lambert family, they differ from most traditional movie victims through their great misfortune and you can't help but feel for them with the dreadful things they have to endure. The spirits strike at a very sensitive and deep part of their hearts, the life of their child, not just his life but his very soul. Despite moving away, the evil haunting them follows wherever they go, it appears inescapable, and it adds a good dose of gloomy futility. The odds are stacked against them and it compels the viewer to become more concerned for their fate and that of their kid

Speaking of which, the thought of Dalton being imprisoned for months in the ghastly world of the dead is distressing when you think about it, especially with it's grim occupants

The ghosts of INSIDIOUS are creepier than your average ghost, not for what they look like but by how cunning and persistent they are. Dalton's empty body wets their appetite and the race to claim it is spearheaded by a hellish being nicknamed “The Lipstick-face Demon”. While his red and black visage and clanging hooves make him the best looking one of the bunch, what sets him apart from the others is that pure evil trickles away from the very fiber of his being, he is wicked personified and a great villain

The cast is really good, Rose Byrne plays a good movie mom, classy, loving, concerned for her family and not one bit of the usual screaming bimbo in her. Patrick Wilson plays a good father that's apprehensive at first and attempts to process everything with rational thought, eventually being the one tasked with the rescue of his boy which he undergoes in a spine-tingling trip through the other side. Lin Shaye is fine as the psychic medium, her two assistants Tucker and Specs are okay as comic relief without coming off as annoying, and Barbara Hershey as Josh Lambert's mother Lorraine is an ironic addition as some will remember her from another ghost movie THE ENTITY, thankfully in this film she isn't raped by any of the ghosts

INSIDIOUS is a really great movie, sure to entertain and best of all, give plenty of scares, and there are good ones. Not the cheap kind of scares but frightening ones that are the product of a good story filled with omninous themes. INSIDIOUS knocked it out of the park for me and made me anticipate Wan and Whannell's next project even more

If you can, watch this really late at night and keep the room as dark as possible

THE GOOD

.The Ghosts – There's a nice variety here, from the playful kid, to the shotgun family, to the bouncer, the Mary Shaw lookalike and the Lipstick demon, they are an interesting crew with a hankering for Tiny Tim

.Spooky mood – INSIDIOUS is a perfect theater movie, the look and feel equals a truly harrowing time viewing it from a casual setting, seeing it in a dark theater with a big sound system must be a grand and jittery experience. I regret not seeing it when it was first released, I would have truly relished in the abundant fear packing the aisles

.The end – It's not so much a “twist” ending, but one that goes against type and shows that it doesn't have to end with everything nice and peachy, won't divulge it and it's not like it's a big shocker but it's certainly a welcome change

THE BAD

.The psychic – Lin Shaye's character is somewhat central to the plot but I must admit that when she came into the picture the ride I was very much enjoying came to a screeching halt. I can't even begin to explain the amount of irritation I feel when a character is introduced in a film simply to explain what is going on, it's flat out dull and I would have really preferred the madness explained another way that wasn't someone just blurting everything out

THE FINAL CURTAIN

One of the best Horror films of 2011, and another triumph from James Wan and Leigh Whannell, a truly spooky solid entry and I loved it, highly recommended

RATING 9.5

WATCHERS (1988)

PLOT

A genetically engineered dog escapes from a research laboratory and into the arms of Corey Haim, before their relationship can get disney-esque it is interrupted by a mutated Orangutan hot on the doggy's trail

REVIEW

As a dog lover my heart warms just a tiny bit at the sight of a canine protagonist on film

Who can forget the infernal cuteness of DEVIL DOG: HOUND FROM HELL, the brave “Thor” in the werewolf flick BAD MOON, the poor shot-gun blasted seeing-eye dog in THE TOXIC AVENGER, the homeless guy's dog from AMERICAN PSYCHO that gets stomped to death by Batman, the possessed hairball from DEMONI 2, Petey from MONSTER SQUAD, the acid-pissing Rottweiler from MAN'S BEST FRIEND, whether hero, companion, victim, or threat, there has 'been a fair share of canines in Horror flicks and I've loved them all

Standing head and shoulders on top of all of them is “Furface”

Furface is a super-intelligent experiment who amidst a burning blaze flees from his lab confinement and runs away into the dark of the forest. Chasing after him is another genetic creation from the lab codenamed OXCOM, a bestial hairy ape that exists only to kill him as his designated prey, hauling his monkey-ass into the woods in pursuit of Furface. Through his escape, Furface seeks shelter in the back of a truck, momentarily discovered by Travis (Corey Haim), who while hesitant at first quickly realizes that the dog is very very VERY smart, and he decides to keep him

OXCOM is not far behind, rendering people into mince meat while searching for Furface, starting with the father of Travis' girlfriend. As the police investigate the scene the next day, Agent Johnson (played by the badass Michael Ironside) barges in on his own search for both Furface and OXCOM, letting nothing get in his way including nosy cops and uncooperative partners

WATCHERS is based on the novel by Dean Koontz, which I have never read, but from online opinion it seems this film is far from a perfect adaptation. Based on the movie's quality I could understand some of the flack, this is a somewhat bland film that doesn't really raise an eyebrow once and is quite uninspired. The book clocks in at 400+ pages and watching the flick you don't get any impression that they got the most out of it while adapting it. I'm quite sure there were many prime-cuts trimmed in translation as there were ample opportunities in character development and so forth that never came to pass

This lazy approach hurt the movie, it's clear the intention was to just make it monster-driven, there was fertile ground for many avenues to pass through but none were ever seriously considered. The buddy dynamic between Travis and Furface should have 'been groomed to the point where you felt they were to be inseparable, they emote some affection for each other but not enough, least not on the human side. If I came across a super-smart dog that could do my homework as opposed to eating it I'd be overjoyed and not constantly bewildered 

The only recognizable actors in the movie are Corey Haim, half of the Two Coreys, and the great Michael Ironside, who unfortunately does not explode any heads in this film and it probably would have helped if he did. Corey Haim does okay, rather unimpressive, can't really deduce if it's his acting ability or just the way the part was written. Michael Ironside is well, Michael Ironside, his role is totally what you'd expect from him.  Speaking of which...

The biggest gripe for me would be a spoilery-tidbit that I refuse to reveal, but the revelation at the end did jackshit for the movie. It was completely worthless as it just happened and nothing came of it, the story wasn't impacted in any way nor did it matter one bit. A minute later it was irrelevant and it was another wasted opportunity that fleshed out well could have 'been interesting but just tanked

Is this a bad film? I would say no, it isn't terrible, it wasn't the least bit excruciating watching it, and to be frank, I did enjoy it, not tremendously but I still found it okay. I'll be generous and call it a mediocre film, there's not a lot going for it, but there's also a few worthwhile things about it. As soon as nostalgia kicks in you find yourself actually enjoying it, and if you love dogs it'll multiply it's chances, watching Furface type on a computer with a pencil in his mouth will make you gaze with endearment at his doggy prowess 

WATCHERS was followed by an astonishing 3 sequels, how anyone thought rehashing this plot would be a good idea escapes me. WATCHERS II starred Marc Singer, star of V, including the tv series where his co-star was Michael Ironside. Apparently parts I and II were released on dvd together, presumably out of print, which I can understand seeing how this ain't the kind of movie you die to own for home viewing

But, like I said, it's not entirely forgetful, it drowns in a sea of superior flicks but in the right mood, it's tolerable

THE GOOD

.Furface – The star of the movie for sure, well-played by “Lala”, you genuinely feel emotionally invested in his survival

.Not seeing much of OXCOM – It's more fun to imagine what is implied and can't see, I thought it was smart to not show OXCOM in full detail until the very end of the film. I also thought he/she/it resembled the chinese wildman from BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA

.Michael Ironside – nuff said

.Jason Priestly falling down a hill – got off easy though

THE BAD

.The blonde kid's 80's poodle mullet – OXCOM must have surely tried to have intercourse with it

.Weak characters – Aside from the dog you don't really find anyone to be anything other than predictable and cliché

.Tad bit more gore – I know I just said a less-is-more approach works much better but the gorehound in me wanted a little more in the instances where it was there, for an R rating it was kinda weak

THE FINAL CURTAIN

Okay movie, not a surefire recommendation, but an okay netflix find

RATING 6